Behind Lock and Key
by Genril
Summary: At Edenfell Prison, it is not just the prisoners that are corrupt, as everything begins to unfurl just as a new prison governor starts. Along with it, a forbidden attraction. Fang/Lightning. AU. Includes other FF guest characters. Based off TV show 'Bad Girls'.
1. Chapter 1

**Behind Lock and Key**

**Chapter 1: Screws and Cons**

* * *

Lining up the cue under her chin, Fang jerked her right hand back and put all her might into the final blow. The white ball _clacked _against the black sending it straight into the top right pocket. The room erupted into a cheer, and those who were paying attention to the competition slapped Fang proudly on the back as she straightened herself.

"Way to go, Fang." A small redhead congratulated her – her pool partner and cellmate Vanille. "You've just won us all an extra twenty minutes of free time next week."

"Thanks, Van. But it was a team effort, yeah?"

Fang gallantly accepted the praise heaped upon her by the rest of her friends as she fought to return her cue to one of the gracious losers.

"You're just too damn good these days, Fang." Officer Strife smiled, accepting the cue from her.

He was by far one of the nicest officers that Edenfell Prison had to offer; lenient and fair by nature and by hair, and not bad to look at either. The daily wolf whistles from inmates never dissuaded him from his profession, much to the annoyance of some.

None of which could catch his eye, which was the same for his fellow officer Miss Lockhart, who was amiable herself. Most of the prisoners knew her reasons for playing the officer versus inmate pool challenges, despite being terrible at the game. But Mr Strife never minded the constant losing, and nor did Fang, as it meant added extras.

"Fancy upping the stakes, Miss?" Fang urged, smiling innocently, but Miss Lockhart only shook her head bashfully.

"Not tonight. With the way I've been playing you'll all be betting your sentences against me. Isn't that right, Cloud?"

Fang laughed at the sight of the male officer trying in vain to pull himself away from some of the younger inmates who had an eye for him.

"Er, yes." He said pulling his I.D card out of Yuffie's wandering hands. "Right everybody that's enough, it's time to move everyone back on the wing."

As Yuffie trudged defeated back to Fang and Vanille's side, Fang hooked an arm around her shoulder. "You might be better off trying to get a kiss from someone who isn't gonna bang you up each night."

The lovesick girl was never going to take no for an answer, Fang knew, but it didn't mean she couldn't advise her otherwise.

"Man, he could bang me up any time he pleases," Yuffie sighed, garnering howls of laughter from Fang and Vanille.

Sunday nights were probably Fang's favourite part of the week at Edenfell; the officers were a lot more laid back, holding mini competitions such as the pool game. They were also granted a later lock up time, albeit half an hour more than usual, but thanks to Fang and the great effort of Vanille they had twenty minutes extra all next week.

As everyone finished filing into the wing, Officer Lockhart began to close the gate behind them. There wasn't much to do one the wing but chat, as the televisions and pool tables all resided in the common room. It had Fang often wishing that they'd just move the pool tables into the wing itself, and use the spare room for something else.

"So what's the wagers net week, Strife?" Fang grinned as the officer approached them.

The man shook his head, his blonde spikes bobbing gently. "Not sure yet, there's nothing you have that I want to win, Fang."

"You'll never beat us with Lockhart on your side," Vanille pointed out, and despite Mr Strife telling her to lower her voice, he agreed wholeheartedly.

"Maybe you and I could team up, Yuffie?"

The thief's eyes lit up, but she caught sight of the look Fang was giving her and she swallowed her first reply.

"And be on the side of the screws? They'd kill me."

"You'd cheat anyway."

"No I wouldn't, Vanille!"

"Oh yes you would."

Fang and Mr Strife looked on in amazement, their eyes flicking back and forth like a tennis match. They began to get a little too loud and excitable in their playful argument , so much so it attracted Miss Lockhart's attention.

"Guys, calm down."

When they ignored the brown haired woman's instructions, Miss Lockhart muttered into Strife's ear, and he checked his watch.

"It's about time you all go back to your cells now, anyway," he said.

The sound of disappointment echoed across the painted brick walls of the common room, but everyone did as they were told. Or at least the majority did.

"Aw but sir," a shrill voice rang out above the crowd, belonging to none other than Jihl, the resident bitch of Wing Thirteen. "Isn't there _anything_ at all we can do to persuade you?"

The attention seeking woman pressed her palms to her sizable breasts, squashing them together to give Mr Strife an eyeful, as he looked away in embarrassment.

"Oh give it a rest, Nabaat you slut." Yuffie cried out, diving between her favourite officer and Jihl, whose face turned sour at the mere sight of the girl.

"Oh piss off and play with your toys, you know Cloud here wants a real woman."

"You just have to spoil everything don't you, Jihl?" Fang groaned.

Nevertheless Yuffie and Jihl squared up to each other, standing nose to nose. It took a lot for Fang not to laugh at the height difference, which made the fight look rather ridiculous. That was until Jihl head-butted the smaller girl hard enough to make her nose explode, sending blood streaming down Yuffie's chin.

Miss Lockhart screamed, grabbing Jihl roughly by the arm in order to force the two apart.

Seizing the opportunity, Yuffie ran forward, managing to clip Nabaat on the chin. At the same time Fang and Officer Strife raced forward; whilst he placed himself in the middle of the fray, Fang wrapped her arms around Yuffie, lifting her off the floor kicking and screaming.

"That's enough, yeah?" Fang whispered loudly into the pickpocket's ear. "Any more of this and they'll seclude you and strip away the extra free time."

It was a good five minutes before Yuffie calmed down. Fang refused to let her go, as the officers tried to soothe her friend with reassuring words. Although some of the inmates looked on, most had obediently left for their cells to retire for the night.

Once things had quietened down, Officer Strife offered to escort Fang back to her shared cell.

"You were a great help back there, Fang. It's just a shame you're on the other side."

"Yes I know. It's a shame you're a guy," Fang smirked, and the officer looked horrified at his choice of words.

"No, no I- what I meant was… it's a shame you're not an officer, Fang."

Together they ascended the metal staircase, passing weary inmates and officers alike. Fang and Vanille resided on the second wing, allocated for longer stays, which was ideal as the ground floor prisoners were often chopping and changing regularly. If you wanted any allies in jail, you would need to befriend ones that were allocated longer stays.

The pale green door was still ajar, and Fang could just see Vanille getting ready for bed through the gap.

"Well this was lovely and all," Fang said, leaning on the metal doorframe. "We should do this again sometime. Say, tomorrow?"

Officer Strife snorted as he smiled – the closest many would find to him laughing. "Yeah, yeah, goodnight Fang. And you too Vanille."

"Goodnight sir!"

The cell door slammed shut, sounding as loud as a thunderclap as it echoed across the entire prison wing. Vanille was already tucking the beige prison sheets around her waist as Fang opted to brush her teeth.

"We get a new wing governor tomorrow," the redhead said as she settled. Fang watched her mark off another day on her calendar which was stuck to the pale yellow wall with sticky tack.

"And they're gonna go mental if they see you've stuck that to the wall." Fang smiled, with the toothbrush still firmly between her teeth.

Vanille simply twisted her face and shrugged. "It doesn't bloody stick to the cork board."

The use of drawing pins was strictly forbidden after one incident that left a girl permanently blind in one eye over two years ago. Arguments between cellmates were always a dangerous thing, especially if one had a tendency to hold grudges. Now they had been issued with a small supply of sticky tack each, and told to stick things up on their own board using that.

"Yeah, _I know_. It always falls off and hits me in my sleep."

They shared a laugh, but outside their door could hear Yuffie screaming and scuffling with the prison guards.

Fang ducked into her own bunk below Vanille, picking a photo off of her own personal cork board. She stared at the photo longingly, of the woman she had left behind. She longed to comb her fingers through her luscious black hair, to hear her sweet yet mocking voice. Oh, how it had been so long since she had heard that voice.

"Is Lebreau visiting soon then?" Vanille asked. The girl always seemed to know when Fang was thinking of her, and it was probably because she kissed her picture every night.

"I think so. I mean, I sent her a visiting order and all," Fang sighed. "But she's never been home when I try to call."

There was a few seconds of ruffling, and suddenly Vanille's upside down head appeared above Fang, startling her slightly. "She'll come."

Fang could only smile, unable to resist flicking Vanille on the forehead before she withdrew herself.

"Yeah, she'll just be busy with our club. Before all of… _this_ we were both working pretty hard trying to get it up and running."

Fang kissed her photo, replacing it back onto the board. Judging by the silence, Vanille wanted an early night, and raven haired woman certainly wasn't complaining.

It was late in the night when Fang woke abruptly from something hitting her on the leg. Judging by her grogginess, she had been asleep for at least a few hours. With one eye closed, she studied the assaulted area and unsurprisingly found it to be Vanille's stupid calendar.

She forced her head back down onto the thin pillow and closed her eye again. However, there was a soft noise resonating through the wing; quiet enough not to wake anyone, but loud enough to irk her.

At first she mistook it for crying, but the harder she listened the more it sounded like someone enjoying themselves.

The muffled moans would certainly belong to someone on the third floor, as anyone serving a life sentence would be treated to their own private cell. It was not uncommon for two inmates who shared a cell to have sex during the night however, as Fang sometimes listened, imagining it to be herself and Lebreau back at home.

But tonight it was definitely a solitary sigh of ecstasy.

And then she heard it – a low, male groan.

Fang's eyes snapped open and her ears perked up. In the distance a cell door screeched open and she could hear the murmurs of a male voice. The cell door was then shut, and although it was still a booming sound, the door had obviously been shut slower and more carefully.

The jangling of cell keys echoed with every step the man took, and the man even had the gall to whistle as he descended, despite the late hour.

It was obvious who was getting it, and who was giving it – it was widely known between the prisoners who the culprits were, despite half of the gossip being built on rumours.

_So Jihl and Rosch _are_ shagging, _Fang mused. _Not _quite _the punishment she deserves_.

She never liked Nabaat enough to want to know her affairs, but this was the first time she'd witnessed any sort of proof to the stories. As much as she wanted to tell Vanille, it would have to wait until morning, so instead Fang settled down, using her cellmate's regulated breathing to help her doze off.

* * *

The van rattled as it made a sharp turn, sending Rikku flying from her seat and into the dividing wall.

"_Vilg, dryd rind!_" She cursed above the laughter of the porters. Her cuffed hands meant she was unable to rub the ache from her shoulder.

"Speak properly, will you?" She heard one say from the front of the van. "Bloody scum of the planet these Al Bhed lot."

"Yeah," another joined in. "And you can guarantee that when a few of them move into town that your stuff will go missing. Bunch of bloody thieves the lot o' you."

In the cubicle to her right, there was the sobbing of a woman who already sounded too soft for where she was heading. And in another, one woman was complaining that she needed the toilet. If they knew what was good for them, they'd both shut up soon as their whining was giving her a large headache.

Eventually the van slowed to a stop, and the door to Rikku's cubicle swung open. The fat man that had thrown her into the van also threw her out, guiding her roughly by the arm into the courtyard.

Her belongings were thrust into her arms by the other man who transported them, grinning as he looked her up and down.

"You're not gonna last long in there," he told her, but it only made her laugh.

Rikku jerked her head to the light haired sobbing woman she heard before. "I'll do a fair bit better than her, I'll wager."

The fat man ushered her and the rest of the women into what looked like a reception room, with a counter in the centre and a few chairs.

"Take a seat and wait to be seen," he ordered, throwing a pile of files on the counter in front of a brown haired woman. "Hi Jessie."

"Morning Wedge. So who do we have today?" The woman scanned the room as the fat man named Wedge listed them off.

"Just about the usual," he said, leaning on the counter and flicking his eyes towards Rikku. "I'd search that one extra thoroughly though. Al Bhed's always have something."

Rikku practically hissed at the lard arse. "_Bek._"

"What did you say, you filthy mouthed bitch?" Wedge asked with his nostrils flared in anger.

"Pig. I called you a pig."

She half expected the man to backhand her into next week, until his friend called for help to get the wailing woman to calm down.

"My boy, I want to see my boy."

She had cried so much that some of her silvery-blonde hair had stuck to her face. The woman behind the counter hurried to her side, shushing her whilst stroking her back.

"This is Mrs Estheim," said the slimmer porter, handing her over to Jessie.

"Thanks Biggs," Jessie nodded. "You were first on the list anyway, Mrs Estheim so we'll sort you out first."

They made Mrs Estheim sign a belongings sheet, confiscating anything that didn't apply to regulations, before sending her into a backroom to do a strip search. Nervously, Rikku played with the rim of her goggles, giving them the once over as discreetly as she could.

* * *

The keys to their cell jangled in the lock, and both Fang and Vanille swung their legs off their edge of the bed. It was probably one of the best sounds you could here in prison – even more so when you had a clean conscience. Vanille rushed to the sink in order to collect both of their prison distributed plastic mugs, handing Fang's to her.

"Good morning ladies."

The voice belonged to a woman officer named Elena, who preferred convicts and colleagues alike to refer to her on a first name basis. As the non-identical twin of the officer Cloud Strife, the two had some fun moments together for Fang and the others to watch in amusement, especially if they had argued outside of work.

"Any news for us?" Vanille asked as they passed the officer.

Elena tucked some hair behind her ear thoughtfully. "Hm, let me think… the new wing governor starts today and just a couple of new prisoners I think, one about your age."

Leaving Elena to her work, the duo followed the crowd down to the first floor and into the cafeteria, which was separated from the wing landing by a wall of prison bars. Like every other wall on the wing, the walls were a pale yellow, which added the monotony of the place.

Along the way, Yuffie tagged along sporting half a swollen face and fresh bandage on the bridge of her nose.

"Dare I ask how you're feeling?" Fang said, grabbing a food tray and joining the breakfast line.

The smaller girl's face screwed up in disgust as Jihl joined the line a few people behind them, but the expression proved too painful to maintain.

"The fucking bitch," Yuffie spat. "She'll get what's coming to her, just you wait."

There was a ripple of excitement as two new prisoners walked past the iron bars that separated the cafeteria from the rest of the offices and rooms in Wing Thirteen. The first to come through was a sullen middle aged woman, followed by a younger girl wearing racing goggles over her eyes. The two couldn't have looked more different from each other if they tried. But what surprised Fang the most was how pristine the older woman was, she certainly didn't fit the usual criteria.

"Well that's one way to get picked on in here," Yuffie scoffed, nodding towards the new blonde girl.

And it seemed everyone else had the same sort of idea, as the poor girl walked through a wave of catcalls.

"There's no pool around here, sweetheart." Jihl howled, creating a burst of laughter across the room.

The girl continued her walk around the table, following the leading officer to her cell. And when she returned for breakfast, it was clear that the insults thrown her way hadn't deterred her from wearing the goggles.

The blonde took a seat at an empty table, whilst Fang, Vanille, and Yuffie exchanged looks of pity. Before any of them could offer her the spare seat at their table however, Jihl slammed her tray down beside the girl.

"You would do well to take my _friendly_ advice when I say wearing those goggles will get your head kicked in."

"Leave her alone," Fang warned from the opposite table, but the woman didn't listen. Instead she reached out towards the girl's face, only to have her hand batted away.

"Don't touch me," the blonde spat.

Jihl leaned closer to the woman, staring intently at the girl through the glass of her goggles. Fang's fist tightened around the spoon in her hand; it was obvious that Jihl was up to something – she never showed any interest in new inmates.

"Now come on, we're friends right? I just want to try them on." Jihl grabbed the smaller girl's wrist as she attempted to grab the goggles again.

Yet without so much as looking at Jihl, the new girl smashed the entire contents of her food tray into Jihl's face.

Nabaat didn't have much time to react, as the girl used the opening to lay a few punches on her, sending both of them to the floor. The scuffle had the entire cafeteria on their feet creating a rough circle around the girls, whilst blocking the stationed guards. It was probably no secret that most of the women on the wing hated Jihl, save for a few, but the excitement generated from the fight would've been the same if it wasn't Jihl getting hurt. Fang secretly placed her bets on the new girl, cheering when she got an opening and smashed the spectacled tart in the face again.

But Jihl clawed frantically at the other girl's cheeks, unwilling to give up the fight and ripping the goggles free in the process. Theother girl withdrew quickly, as if she had touched something hot, which was her biggest mistake as Jihl then grabbed her throat.

Jihl's eyes widened, and then narrowed.

"I knew it! She's an Al Bhed!"

The room was a flurry of whispers – Al Bhed were not welcomed people, simply for their travelling lifestyle. Burglaries and thefts weren't uncommon when a group of Al Bhed moved in the area. But that didn't matter, to Fang it was the fact that no one was bothering to help.

Far to the left, Officer Elena tried desperately to pull and push her way through the crowd, screaming for everyone to step aside, but no one was listening. An unpleasant wave of anger blazed in Fang's chest the second Jihl's foot made contact with the girl's stomach, and it was then she knew she couldn't sit back and watch.

"Fang, what are you doing?" Vanille said with her voice fully of worry.

It was like she had been placed onto autopilot, and she flung her arm out to stop Vanille from getting any closer. Her friend tried, but thankfully Yuffie held Vanille back for her as she entered the fray.

"If you don't fucking get away from that girl, I'll bloody kill you." She roared, but Jihl paid no attention to her, hammering the Al Bhed's head into the linoleum floor instead.

Both Strife officers had made it through the crowd by now, and Cloud grabbed Fang by the shoulders first, hauling her back.

"Get off me!" Fang hissed. "Get Nabaat!"

It looked as though Jihl had knocked the young girl out, and yet Officer Strife was still holding _her_ back instead. Fang kicked back, hitting Cloud in the shins so hard that he finally did let go.

Fang grabbed Jihl by the hair and rived her back, sliding her across the floor screaming. She scrunched up her fist again, ready to hit the troublemaker, when a voice roared out across the cafeteria.

"ENOUGH."

And the whole room, including officers, froze. Fang's hand was still in mid-air.

"I am Lightning Farron," the woman said, addressing everyone in a raised voice. "And I'll be your new wing governor here."

The woman looked undeniable stern, squaring her shoulders, and using a no nonsense tone. But at the same time, her pink champagne coloured hair and fair complexion gave the impression of gentleness.

"Send the three of them to solitary."

_Or maybe not_.

Elena scrambled to the floor, managing to drag Rikku far enough away before pinning her to the floor with her knee, eventually cuffing her. Officer Strife rushed towards Fang and Jihl, pushing them apart whilst shooting Fang a disapproving look. It had been a hard decision to kick one of her favourite officers, but it had to be done to help the new girl.

Fang was escorted by Elena to one of the solitary rooms without any fuss, whilst the new the new wing governor preceded the line. Fang was placed in the furthest cell; a room that was painted a calming shade of blue, probably not coincidentally. Prisons would try anything if they thought it would calm prisoners down.

"I'll put in a good word for you," Elena whispered just before she closed the door, which provided some comfort.

The solitary cell was roughly the same size as a regular single cell, just with fewer furnishings. With a bed tucked in one corner and a toilet in the other it was the definition of bare minimum.

Fang paced the room endlessly, unsure how long she would actually be confined, but after what felt like ten to fifteen minutes she settled herself on the bed instead.

She must've fallen asleep during her wait, as the creaking of the door made her jump unexpectedly. Luckily she regained her composure before the new governor had entered, and Fang shuffled to attention to the edge of the bed out of respect.

"And last but not least," the governor smiled wryly, leaving the door slightly ajar behind her.

She had taken off her jacket and rolled up her sleeves since Fang had last seen her, the previous interrogations must have riled her to the point of getting hot and bothered .

"So you must be Fang," she began.

"Yes," Fang nodded. "Miss, er…"

"_Farron_."

"Miss Farron… with all due respect I don't think there's anything new you can learn from me about what happened earlier."

At the very least, the woman nodded in agreement, but the way she folded her arms made Fang think that she wasn't about to let her go.

"True. But from what I hear though, you're not a usual troublemaker. So why get involved?"

Why indeed? Fang was happy to just spectate until the nature of the girl's race came into light.

"I guess it was just the way that bitch was treating her," Fang shrugged. "All because she's apparently a bloody Al Bhed. It triggered something in me."

Miss Farron wasn't yet satisfied. "And why's that?"

Keeping her eyes firmly to the floor, Fang continued. "Well I've been in that situation before when I was younger. The racial hate against that Al Bhed girl was once no different for Pulsians either."

The words had been unusually hard for Fang to say, especially to someone she had met for less than five minutes.

"That'll be all," Miss Farron uncrossed her arms. "And 'that Al Bhed girl' is named Rikku, by the way. She asked me to thank you for standing up for her."

The governor swung the cell door open, looking back before she left.

"I'll send an officer to collect you soon, Fang."

* * *

After seeing the looks people were giving her and that barely of age child as they entered, Nora decided to skip breakfast in favour of unpacking and crying some more. It was just as well as there was a huge ruckus, and from what she gathered it was that young girl in the middle of it.

"Fuck, not another one."

Nora almost leaped out of her skin, as a voice droned out behind her. A woman clad in all black stood over her, arms folded. With the sides of her short hair gelled back she looked like a complete ruffian, the type of person she always warned her son Hope against.

Nora smiled weakly "Not just me, I'm afraid."

If she was aiming to put her new cellmate in a better mood, she certainly wasn't going to achieve it yet. The scary looking youth kicked at the bunk bed at the opposite end of the wall and growled.

"And what might they call you?" Nora asked out of habit of being polite.

Surprisingly, her cellmate answered, albeit with her back to her. "The name's Paine."

"_Paine_," Nora almost faltered, "I'm Nora, nice to meet you."

She watched as Paine shoved her hand down her pillowcase, pulling out a packet of cigarettes.

"Does it look like I give a shit what your name is?" She ground out, and promptly left.

Was everyone in here going to be like this? Nora slumped herself on the lowest bunk, her hands shaking.

_It's only for four years._ She thought, choking back a sob.

* * *

"We've got a staff meeting in ten minutes, Yaag." Cloud informed him, before disappearing into the solitary cell that held the Al Bhed girl.

"Thanks, I'll be there soon."

Yaag fiddled around with his keys until the other officer and convict had left before entering. As Nabaat's personal officer, no one would bat an eyelid to his offer of escorting her back to her cell.

When he entered Jihl was standing at the little barred window, which required her to stand on her toes to see as it was rather high.

"You're being quite the mischief-maker," he murmured, standing so close behind her that he could smell the floral scent of her hair.

"Are you going to punish me again, sir?"

She certainly knew how to talk, her sultry voice giving him shivers. As the big busted woman turned to face him Yaag was able to see the proper extent of her injuries. She was sporting a black eye and claw marks to her face, some fresh some partially healed from her bout with Kisaragi. Nevertheless he still found her pleasing.

She cupped his groin and gave him a firm squeeze as he mirrored the act with her voluptuous breasts. Her clever hands were nothing short of brilliant as she pulled his member from his trousers and began to work at it until he was hard.

"I've gotta be somewhere in five minutes," Yaag gasped as Jihl took him into her mouth. He would have to be careful not to blow his load over his work trousers.

"Yeah, _in me_," Jihl finished.

But he knew fine well he wasn't going to last.

* * *

After breakfast, depending on whether or not an inmate had duties or not, there was always a block of free time for the girls. For Yuffie, it was simply a time to relax, as she was relieved from her last job as a cleaner. Apparently there was such a thing as _too clean a floor._

She sat on a table just outside their cell, with Paine on the seat beside her with her knees up. She wasn't overly fond of Paine, who despite her dark appearance sought friendship with Jihl most of the time, but as they shared a four person dorm it was necessary to keep good relations.

"We've got both of those newbies in our room," Paine said between drags of her cigarette.

"What? The bloody old lady _and_ the Al Bhed?" Yuffie grabbed the offered cigarette and inhaled some herself. "Great, just great."

Paine's reddish eyes flashed menacingly, and Yuffie could see why; the Al Bhed had just walked back into the wing since the fight. She looked a bit battered and bruised, but unlike Yuffie's busted nose, she looked fine in comparison.

"What are you smiling at?" Yuffie asked, furrowing her eyebrows. Paine's eyes never left the Al Bhed for one moment.

It was only when Rikku walked past them, did Yuffie partly understand her cellmate's dangerously wide smirk.

"Rikku," she called out in her monotonous voice.

With the smallest and jerkiest of movements, the Al Bhed – Rikku - turned to Paine, but couldn't hide her look of horror.

"P-Paine."

"We have a lot to catch up on."

This Rikku girl was turning out to be an interesting character, Yuffie realised, chewing her tongue in thought. She wasn't afraid of a fight and she even knew Paine, which probably wasn't a good thing Yuffie realised after a moment's pause. She just had to talk to this girl, because really, anyone who thought throwing a tray at Jihl's face was a good idea was an absolute genius in that respect.

With a burst of energy, Yuffie hopped off the table and followed the girl into the cell.

"Hey how's it going? I'm Yuffie."

"Rikku."

At first he girl didn't so much as turn her head, probably figuring her as someone else looking for a fight, fiddling with her possessions instead.

When Yuffie didn't leave Rikku spared a glance, tipping her belongings out of the bag she had yet to unpack; she looked relieved that Paine hadn't followed her in.

"So what're you in here for?" Yuffie queried, eyeing the clothes Rikku was sorting.

Like Yuffie, it seemed Rikku was a shorts and tank top kind of person, which made the girl even more cooler.

"For the most part burglary and thieving," Rikku grinned, and from somewhere in her belongings she pulled out a pouch, throwing it to Yuffie.

At first Yuffie gave the bag a squeeze, trying to second guess what could possibly be inside, imagining it to be a pouch of teeth. Yet on further inspection she found it was filled with all sorts of jewellery, from rings to necklaces, which was _slightly_ better than teeth.

Yuffie gasped. "Cool, me too! Gotta love the thrill of pickpocketing."

The other thief liked what she heard, smiling in approval. Yuffie smiled as well, until a sharp pain in her nose made her wince instead.

"So what happened to you?"

Rikku pointed at her own nose, staring intently at Yuffie's as she took back her pouch of stolen jewellery. It had been bothering Yuffie for a while as to how Jihl had realised Rikku was an Al Bhed, but as the girl approached her, she knew instantly it was her spiralled irises. A dead giveaway.

"Same thing that happened to you - that bitch Jihl.

Rikku must've realised Yuffie was staring at her spiralled pupils, and she turned away uncomfortably.

"So that's why you were wearing your goggles coming in, eh?" Yuffie said more to herself than the blonde thief. "I think your eyes are pretty cool."

She watched as Rikku pulled the goggles from her neck, rolling the headgear around in her hands as she used the object as a distraction.

"Oh, sod it," She said, pushing and twisting her goggles in a strange pattern until it clicked. Yuffie looked on in awe, as she tipped a handful of pills into her hand, and offered one to Yuffie.

"They're hypers," she explained. "Now I wouldn't usually offer them freely, but I like you already, Yuffie."

Slowly, Yuffie reached out and picked one, unsure whether or not to take it now or leave it until closing time. However, her decision was made for her when Rikku knocked a pill back herself, looking expectantly at Yuffie to do the same.

"I think we'll have a beautiful friendship here Rikku," she said, throwing her head back and swallowing.

She might have spoken too soon, as Paine stood silently in the doorway looking ready to send her new friend to an early grave… and left. She would definitely have to ask about their history.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late." Yaag nodded his apology to the governor, who simply glared at him.

The staffroom was a small room, with the wall adjoining the cafeteria space made of wooden panels and glass that was reinforced with wire mesh.

Although it meant that relaxing officers couldn't get much privacy, it allowed them to keep a watchful eye on the cons.

"As I was saying," Miss Farron continued. "There is a going to be a national crackdown on drug users within prisons. Officers and inmates alike will be targeted for random spot checks and urine samples."

Everyone had suspected a tougher time for prisoners, but for officers as well?

Yaag folded his arms defiantly. "I'll be taking no bloody piss tests for anyone. Fuck the arseholes that came up with that one."

Miss Farron's face darkened at his outburst. "Be thankful that they're not asking for strip searches, Rosch. Otherwise I'd make sure that these 'arseholes' search your _arsehole _in the process."

Cloud spat his drink out laughing; staining his white uniform with tea. Whilst Yaag did find it quite funny that Cloud had sprayed tea everywhere, he didn't like the fact the governor had just mocked him. Elena congratulated Cloud sarcastically on how far he managed to spray the liquid, before wiping down her soaked trousers.

"Jessie's offered to place the drugs awareness posters around the wing, but in the mean time I want you all to be on a high alert. Any suspicious activity, or any tip-offs should not be taken lightly."

The governor carried on speaking for five more minutes, and Yaag helped himself to a few chocolate biscuits as he waited for her to finish. He would do well to have her on his side he knew, but on the other hand she would probably bite his cock off if he went about her the wrong way. Unfortunately, the more she glared his way he realised that the latter seemed more likely.

* * *

Fang was thankful to have been finally let out of solitary, and instantly made her way back onto the wing towards the prison phones. With the phone card already in her hand, she shoved it into the machine, pressing the well-memorised numbers in. The phone rang once, twice, three times, before clicking to answer phone.

_'Sorry I can't take a call right now, but please leave a message after the tone.'_

How many times was Fang going to reach the answer machine this month? She had lost count of the times already.

"Hey, Lebreau it's me. Just thought I'd phone to ask if you got my visiting order in the post yet. I really miss hearing your voice, and no, this answering machine message is not a good replacement for it… love-"

The call ended abruptly, meaning Fang's phone card had just run out, Fang slammed the receiver down in annoyance before remembering she had a second.

"Trouble in paradise, Yun?" Jihl sneered, suddenly appearing in front of her. "Maybe your little girlfriend's left you for someone else."

Fang wasn't going to entertain this one any further. "How about you do everyone a favour and kill yourself?"

As if Rosch had some sort of sixth sense, he was already jogging from the staffroom to his little pet's side. If it hadn't of been for the fact she could hear people behind her fussing to use the phone, she maybe would have stuck around. But instead she made for her cell, until Rosch grabbed her by the arm.

Placing his lips as close as possible to her ear he hissed, "I've got my eye on you. Nabaat warned me you might be trouble."

Fang yanked her arm away, taking some precautionary steps back away from the officer.

"Yeah? Was she warning you about me _before_ or _after _you fucked her?"

Maybe she'd said that last bit too loudly, because the room was buzzing now, and the next person to grab her was Officer Lockhart.

"Come with me," she ordered, her long hair flapping behind her. "I'm taking you to Miss Farron for that remark."

Fang bit her tongue the entire way there – of course Lockhart would think this was her fault. The busty woman practically sailed them down the corridor leading to the offices, just catching Lightning Farron as she was about to leave her office.

"Sorry if I'd caught you at a bad time, ma'am, but this one has been stirring up trouble. She's making accusations against an officer."

Miss Farron looked at her, then back to Miss Lockhart. "In that case Tifa, can I get a coffee brought up here?"

Miss Lockhart released her vice grip. "Of course you can."

Instead of taking a seat like any normal governor, the champagne haired woman leaned against front of her desk, towering about Fang who she gestured to take the visitor's seat.

"Twice in one day… and I was led to believe you were one of the good ones here."

Fang placed both elbows on the arms of the chair in a carefree manner, noting the cleanliness of the office since this woman had moved in.

"I'm not… _usually_ like this," Fang said, raking her fingers through her wild hair as a poor distraction.

The governor paused their talk as someone rapped at the door. But it was only Miss Lockhart, who appeared holding the promised cup of coffee, shutting the door behind her.

"So, this accusation?" Miss Farron began, taking a large gulp of her long awaited drink.

Fang sat back quietly as Officer Lockhart recapped the event from her own point of view. All the while, Fang watched Farron's mostly blank expression, amazed at how little she gave away.

Lightning turned her attention to Fang. "To say an officer is having sexual relations with a prisoner is very serious offence in itself, but if you're making false allegations-"

"They're not bloody false!" Fang made to get out of her chair, but one of Lockhart's hands pushed her firmly down. "Every con on this wing knows what Jihl and Rosch get up to around here. The people in here are just too clever to get involved, or too frightened to say anything if they are."

"Shall I put her on report, Lightning?" Tifa questioned, which was what Fang had been expecting, but the woman shook her head.

"No, just send her back to her duties."

The governor's disinterest in punishing stunned Fang, and Miss Lockhart stuttered at the answer until she cleared her throat.

The young officer held Fang firmly by the shoulder, making Fang remain in the office chair as she proposed another form of punishment. With Farron's consent, Miss Lockhart suggested to have that newbie Nora Estheim accompany her in her garden work.

Apparently for mutual benefit.

Fang sat awkwardly as Miss Lockhart described her as a _'friendly enough inmate'_ to ease Nora into prison life, and suggested that Nora's motherly company alone should have a calming effect on her.

Fang and Miss Farron agreed, and she was escorted towards the gardens by Tifa Lockhart herself.

It had seemed easy enough when listening to her proposal in the office, but now she was in the gardens, Nora was teeth grindingly irritating. Getting the woman to speak about her prison sentence was proving difficult, leaving Fang to make passive comments.

"I just find it weird that a mother as nice as you could end up in jail," Fang said, grabbing a trowel and stabbing the dirt.

Fang's job was to provide the upkeep of the prison gardens, which was a peaceful task all year round for the most part. She was used to all extreme weathers, which made her a perfect candidate for yard work.

"Well, presuming you're gonna be a while I might as well give you some pointers. First of all, stay away from that bitch Jihl, because I'm sure you know what happened back in the cafeteria." Fang stabbed the trowel through a persistent nettle. "The bastard screw Rosch is also one to avoid – the one with the silver hair, you seen him?"

Nora nodded, flinching every time Fang cursed. "Good, well don't get involved with either of them, because they're well known fuck buddies around here. They'll fuck each other over eventually I'm betting, and they'll fuck you if you get in their way… figuratively of course."

"Okay…"

Realising her words were becoming a string of rants, Fang continued the proper course.

"And then there's Officer Steiner who is loud, proud, and angry. You won't have seen him yet, though, but when he's in, don't fuck around unless you want to go on report. The others are fine though."

She let the silence naturally wash over the two of them, to let it all sink in for Nora. "Any questions?"

Having forgotten she had provided Nora with her gardening gloves, Fang reached for a nettle with her bare hand resulting in an instant pain after she let go.

Laughing slightly, Nora pulled the nettle out for her. "I think one of the officers was trying to explain weekly spends to me, but then he had to leave..."

Still eyeing the stinging rash on her palm, Fang leaned back on her other arm. Finally, an actual sentence from the woman.

"Well, any personal cash we earn while in here goes towards the tuck shop at the end of the week. You'll get a few gil a week just for good behaviour, and the rest you've gotta earn through work."

"We only get to go once a week?"

Fang nodded. "And I'm sorry but you have a long time to wait, since we already went yesterday."

Fang might as well have told her the world was ending, because as quick as a flash, Nora was in a flood of tears. Despite the fact it was sore, she used to her right hand to comfort the weeping woman.

"What's up?"

"I need to contact my poor son… he's been placed into the care of my husband's family ever since our sentencing. I _need_ to phone him, Fang. I need to hear his voice."

Fang bit her lip; her last phone card burning a hole in the pocket of her hooded jacket. She unzipped her prison issued garden vest, delving her hand in just to feel the cold, hard plastic.

Lebreau's voice or the voice of Nora's son?

She barely knew this woman, much like the Rikku girl, and yet she felt pressured into helping her too!

"Can't you ask one of the screws to let you use their phone?" Fang frowned.

The last thing Fang needed was a crying convict on her hands, and worse yet, a flash of pink caught her eye. The governor was standing at one of the benches alongside some officers, all in conversations of their own. The governor glanced over curiously at Fang and at Nora, which gave the woman no choice.

"Here," she said finally, slapping her last phone card into Nora's trembling hand. "Now go. Go ring him."

_Ring him before I regret it._

Fang watched longingly at the phone card in Nora's hand more than Nora herself as she ran inside, still wearing the garden gloves. Fang thrust the trowel deep in the soil out of anger, wiping her brow.

Just when had she became so charitable?

* * *

The purr of the engine died as Lightning pulled the keys from the ignition. Suddenly remembering the words of one of her superiors the day she accepted the job at Edenfell, and such words had never rang so true.

_'As governor you'll be tired, tried and tested.' _

"Is that you home?" Cid called from another room as Lightning dumped her jacket on the end of the bannister.

She kicked off her heels next, regretting the choice of footwear, and not regretting the way they hit off the wall. It would be flat shoes from here on out.

Cid appeared in the hallway wearing a green apron, the smell of chopped onions following him from the kitchen "I'll take those series of grunts as a 'yes' then.".

"It's been one hell of a first day," Lightning managed with a large sigh.

Cid began to massage her neck and shoulders, giving her a quick kiss in the process. Such compassion was unusual from him.

"Go have a bath and food will be on the table ready when you're finished."

It was the best suggestion she had heard all day, she realised as she trudged upstairs, with every step appearing to get higher and higher as she climbed.

And once cleansed, she almost felt like galloping downstairs towards the food, which had smelled mouth-watering when she first came home. But as she entered the kitchen, she wasn't expecting to see that their homemade dinner had transformed into two steaming pizzas on the counter.

Cid was eating his second slice leaning on one arm, causing most of his sleek, dark hair to fall in his face. She hated it when it did that, because it meant she couldn't judge his mood properly.

"You were definitely cooking before, what happened?"

"It burnt."

There was no point in asking what 'it' was, or what 'it' was going to going be; in case it was something better. Instead she took a seat at the breakfast bar facing opposite Cid, who pushed her share towards her.

"So, what was it like then?" Cid cracked open a bottle of white wine. Although Lightning didn't feel up to the task of drinking it, it would be a shame to waste it.

"Well, my day started out with a small fight in the cafeteria, resulting in an hour's worth of quizzing between three inmates, one of which hasn't even been there five minutes," Lightning paused thoughtfully. "There's currently a big drug crackdown amongst prisons now, which will require tougher rules and regulations for both staff and prisoners. Then to top it all off one of the inmates from earlier made an accusation against one of my officers."

"Looks like I'm going to be your councillor over the next few weeks then." Cid stated, his pale eyes already looking unhappy where her line of work was heading.

"Well thanks for being supportive," she retorted.

After being so eager to eat earlier, Lightning suddenly didn't feel as hungry. Cid's terrible mood couldn't have stemmed from burning dinner, so there had to be another reason.

"Is your awful mood down to something at work?" Lightning's eyes narrowed. "Do I need to be _your_ councillor?"

Being a proud man, Cid wasn't the usual type to let Lightning know of his problems. Eventually, after two, or maybe three knockbacks of wine he began to open up, even if it was rather groggily.

"Rygdea wants to cut our research and production of aircrafts in favour of merely selling parts wholesale."

"Carry on," Lightning pushed, eyebrow slightly raised.

"It's only our first year of research, of course there are going to be losses. My forecast is that by year two alone we will have broken even. But he just won't listen."

Cid said no more, and once they had finished eating, Lightning began to clear up; the ache in her feet replaced by an ache in her head after too much wine. Cid didn't offer any help, and such moods were best avoided, therefore Lightning crashed into bed early.

The last thing she wanted was for Cid to lose out on his main inspiration, but if it meant being more financially secure she had to side with Rygdea on this one. Not that she would tell him that.

Tomorrow would be a better day, surely.

* * *

**A/N: Firstly, don't panic in thinking that 'The Other Battlefield' has been shelved. This story is my form of distraction for you, as I race to complete the other stories I've neglected between weekly updates of this story. **

**Secondly, this story does require a disclaimer because it is based off a UK television show named 'Bad Girls', which means that I have borrowed storylines from the programme and therefore cannot take credit for most of the stuff I write. **

**My main aim is to update weekly, as I've written most of the story anyway in my downtime, and in between the posts I will be completing the other stories. **

**If you've got any questions, please feel free to ask because I do reply. Feedback is most appreciated, because despite the borrowed plots, I have worked incredibly hard on this. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Behind Lock and Key**

**Chapter 2: Favouritism**

* * *

The roads were usually quiet, contrasting against the roar of his engine. Combined with the reasonable weather, Cloud was in his element. He tilted the motorcycle left, joining a dual carriageway with only a handful of cars on the road ahead of him.

At first he thought he had free reign of the road, but that was until a sleek white car raced past him, sounding its horn as it went, but he wasn't able to see the driver through the car's tinted windows. With a hint of curiosity, Cloud sped forward; to be outdone by any car against his Fenrir model motorbike was ludicrous.

He didn't recognise the car or its plate, but reasoned that the driver was either an arsehole, or challenging him. It was through pure luck that he didn't have to tail the car, as it was going in the same direction he needed to be in, but every time he raced forward, the car was always that small step ahead.

_If it turns right here, then they're definitely from work_, he thought.

Lo and behold, the car turned right and followed the road on through a housing estate, pausing at the gates whilst the guards checked identification cards. Hurriedly, Cloud flashed his own card, opening the visor of his helmet for the benefit of the man on duty, before pulling into the space beside the white car.

And it was not just any car, he realised. No, it was none other than a Gestalt – and that brand of car didn't come cheap.

Cloud tugged off his helmet, tucking it under his arm as he tapped on the tinted window. The person inside answered immediately by opening the door, revealing to be none other than his boss.

"L-Lightning, ma'am," he was unable to hide his surprise. "How did you know it was me back there?"

The governor chuckled, eyeing his motorbike with intrigue. "I saw your bike last night, and I've never seen one quite like it. Did you customise that yourself?"

"Yes, I spend most of my time and money on this thing," Cloud said, patting the leather seat. "You ride isn't too bad either… Gestalts cost an arm and a leg. Nor have I seen _that_ style before."

It was Miss Farron's turn to stroke her vehicle, doing so with a strangely gentle touch.

"This is the Odin model. It's got plenty of horse power to outrun Fenrir's any day."

Cloud gave his superior an incredulous look – he had never met a woman who knew her bikes, and as for the ones who pretended, well, her car said everything.

"Hey, good morning!"

Both motor enthusiasts turned to greet the cheerful voice, which could only belong to Tifa. It was nice to actually know someone who was generally an all-round pleasure to be around who actually enjoyed such early mornings.

Tifa was looking Miss Farron up and down and smiling, yet her eyes didn't smile as much with her. Tifa turned her attentions to his bike, flicking the hair from her face as her fingertips lightly graced the black paintwork.

"And here I get around on a bus," she chuckled. "What's it like, the rush of riding one?"

He couldn't put into words the exact feel of not riding behind the protection of a windscreen, the force of the winds his body, and the superior feeling of zipping through traffic.

"Like being on a rollercoaster, I guess."

Miss Farron made a noise almost like a scoff as Tifa hung on every word with awe.

Women were such confusing things.

* * *

For once Jihl had still been sleeping when her door rattled open, but instead of her usual officer Mr Rosch, it was the stern faced Officer Steiner who was releasing the third floor. The man was stocky, barrel chested, with thick limbs to match his stature. She noticed he had had a haircut in his absence; long gone was his atrocious jaw length wavy hair, in favour of a more youthful cut with shaven sides.

"Come on, get up. I haven't got all day."

It was for this reason that Jihl's next move was deliberately bumbling, as she pretended to blindly reach for her glasses. Steiner coughed in annoyance, and his face crumpled when she rose out of bed wearing the skimpiest of clothes. Of course, it would have been for the benefit of Yaag Rosch, who was at least ten years younger, but Jihl reasoned even the older man needed some excitement in his life too.

"Did you have a nice holiday, _sir?_"

With her glasses she could study him clearer, and he shot a stern glare as he puffed up his chest.

"I bet you met someone while you were away, you're looking awfully… better than usual."

The man flinched, and she knew she had got him. "Hurry up and get ready, breakfast in ten."

The loud man left only to be replaced with a silent one; Rosch appeared in her cell somewhere between her changing underwear, giving her a small fright when she turned.

"If you think I'm missing breakfast for some quick shag then forget it," Jihl jested, but Rosch responded in a growl.

He quickly looked over his shoulder, his hair a flash of silver as he checked for eavesdroppers. If he was trying to not look suspicious, he was doing a poor job of it.

"I had another run in with Yun downstairs," he said licking his lips nervously. "I need you to get a few pills for me."

"Hang on, I'm not doing anything for you," Jihl said running up to him from across her cell. "For free."

Rosch sighed, fishing under his black uniform jumper and into his shirt pocket. Obviously he had expected such non-cooperation without a favour in return. To Jihl's delight, he pulled out a gorgeous shade of lipstick, placing it firmly in her hands. His hold remained, and as he curled her fingers around her gift, he tugged her chin to face him.

"As many as you can."

"What are you going to do?" Jihl demanded.

If she was putting herself at risk of going down the block for getting caught, then she was sure as hell going to know what he was up to. Paine would do the acquiring for her at least, but like anyone in this forsaken place, she would require favours, favours, favours. Rosch returned to the cell door, swinging it open quickly to reveal no one but passing inmates and his paranoia.

"With any luck, take Yun down a peg or two. Her outburst yesterday means that bitch Farron is keeping an eye on me."

Jihl followed Rosch out the cell, their feet tapping in unison on the metal grate floor. Officer Steiner had just finished freeing the last prisoner, and he raised a large hand at Rosch who nodded back. She spotted Yun below, just exiting her cell with her stupid little perky friend, strutting around like she owned the place.

Leaning over the safety bars, Jihl aimed a large mouthful of spit at the woman, watching the thick glob of spit slowly pull itself away from her mouth. Her saliva fell through the metal safety netting easily, but missed Fang by mere inches.

It did however hit Officer Steiner, who flinched, urgently looking around. Jihl threw herself against the wall in a fit of giggles.

As long as she hit someone, her spit didn't entirely go to waste.

* * *

The visitation room followed the same colour scheme as the majority of the prison with its pastel yellow walls, pale green doors, and paler green skirting boards.

Fang was placed in the middle row, with other prisoners facing the same way in their own respective seats, as if they were about to sit an exam. Each prisoner was required to wear a red apron in order to tell them apart from visitors, and Fang's proved to be a great distraction for her nerves.

As she played with the hem, the door to the reception opened and in filed plenty of tense visitors. Fang held her breath as she scanned for Lebreau, because although they were scheduled to meet, it didn't mean she had to turn up. To make things worse, Fang hadn't been able to catch her at home to ask if she was actually visiting.

Luckily Lebreau had come last month, despite having poor contact with Fang. But in the back of her mind, Fang remembered the countless times that Yuffie's father hadn't bothered turning up, which left her an emotional wreck for ages.

Then in drifted Lebreau, and Fang released her breath, waving her over. She looked different somehow, perhaps more maturely dressed than usual in trousers and a smart blouse.

Nevertheless, emotion still exploded in the caverns of her chest, and Fang couldn't hide her excitement. "I'm so glad you came, I have missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Fang." Lebreau replied, and Fang reached for her hands.

To even glide her thumbs over her knuckles felt like a dream. If there was anything in this world that would get her through her long sentence, it would be this woman.

"So what've you been up to, since you're never in to return my calls?" Fang smirked, they had put in so many hard hours into getting their business up and running, so she couldn't imagine the pressure of the upkeep.

"The bar proved to be quite the handful after you left," Fang's stomach lurched at Lebreau's choice of words. "I did so much advertising that I couldn't afford to pay rent for almost three months, but all is well now, a good friend helped me out."

There was something about the way Lebreau's face never changed, not a flicker of a smile, not a single variation in her tone. The whole thing seemed scripted, like she had practised her words.

"You mean Gadot, right?" Fang pressed, wanting her own fears dowsed.

She reached forward to tuck some of Lebreau's onyx hair behind her ear, but the woman flinched, having been conversing with the table the entire time. It made Fang feel like some sort of repulsive monster, the way she refused to meet her eyes.

But this, along with the unanswered calls, the rehearsed sentences, became the reason behind Fang's next question.

"You've… got someone else, haven't you?"

When Lebreau's eyes finally lifted, Fang knew. Fang knew she had lost the one and only hope she had for even wanting to get out of prison. Fang pulled her hands away in disgust, finding that Lebreau had already let go anyway.

"I'm sorry, Fang." Lebreau choked. "It's been _so _long, and you've still got longer still to go. I know I'm weak but this girl I met has been the best thing in my life since you left."

"I didn't _leave_," Fang hissed, feeling sick to her stomach. "I am in here because I love you, remember?"

Lebreau was shaking, and crying, and Fang had no desire to comfort her now. Didn't Lebreau understand how hard, if not harder, it had been for Fang to cope without her? At least outside Lebreau was free, the only prison walls she had would be the ones she set up around her own mind.

"Can we still be friends?" The smaller woman asked tentatively, mascara intricately painting her cheeks like she was a festival dancer.

Fang was numb, nodding slowly. It was all she could do, as her voice sank to the same place her heart resided – some hole in her stomach.

"You've got two minutes to say your goodbyes!" Officer Steiner called out, and the room went from hushed words to a low hum of rushed goodbyes.

Lebreau stood up without hesitation, wiping her face with the back of her hand, although it didn't change the state of her face much. Fang would wait until she was back in her cell to cry, whether Vanille was there or not didn't matter.

"You were the only thing I had to look forward to, y'know." Fang whispered.

And as easy as that, Lebreau left.

As soon as she was able to, Fang rushed to the privacy of her cell, ignoring the calls of her friends. Without meaning to, she had slammed the cell door so hard that it closed completely, locking her in.

The cold walls embraced her, providing a strange comfort to Fang as it contained her heart wrenching scream. What was her life worth living for, if not for her girlfriend? There were no family members at the end of this, and her friends were Lebreau's friends also.

Fang sank to her knees, ignoring the shouts from Vanille who was hammering at the door. The last thing she needed was to relay what had happened, or Lebreau's smiling face bearing down upon her from the corkboard for that matter.

She ripped it from the wall, and then into quarters. The gesture relieved her of some of the pain, especially as the pieces floated to the floor.

"Fang, I'm coming in!" Officer Elena called, bursting through the door with Vanille in tow.

There was quite a crowd gathered outside as well she noticed, a mixture of people she liked and disliked, wanting to see today's drama.

Vanille closed in on her, hugging her tightly. Finally, an embrace that wasn't cold.

"Fang, what's the matter?"

Fang took a shuddering breath, but she couldn't form the words.

Elena Strife was also at her side, offering to grab a hot drink for her from the staffroom, which Fang wholly agreed to. Elena guided the two of them through the thick of the crowd; Jihl, the last person Fang wanted to see out of anyone stood watching, with a pleased look on her face.

"Aw, what's the matter?" Jihl mocked, and Fang was already flexing her hand.

"Come on, Fang," Elena instructed, opening the iron gate that would lead to the staffroom.

_Just follow Elena,_ Fang chanted, but Jihl wasn't going to leave it at that.

"Did your little girlfriend finally decide she wanted someone with a dick?" Jihl sneered.

As Jihl dismissively turned, Fang collided into her, slamming the both of them into the iron bars. The crowd from earlier still remained, cheering and chanting, but there were no names shouted in particular. Behind her Elena was calling for back up over the radio, keeping a safe distance, but all the while giving Fang time.

The first and only punch thrown knocked Nabaat's glasses flying from her face, revealing more of the bruising from her bouts with Yuffie and Rikku. Jihl had her hands wrapped solidly around her throat, pushing into her windpipe. So she hooked her leg around Jihl's knee and tripped her.

She wanted to do more, but Cloud Strife denied her of the pleasure as he grabbed both of her arms.

"Just one more hit!" Fang pleaded.

The adrenaline surging through her veins was masking the pain of her loss, and if it was Jihl's face that was providing such relief, then so be it.

"You'll be going down the block for this," Cloud said, although that much was obvious. "Elena, you calm down the others."

Elena pushed Jihl into Paine's direction, pointing towards the third floor cells. "Oh yeah, leave me with the easy job. Paine, help me get Jihl upstairs, will you?"

The route down to the solitary cell was becoming a familiar one now; past the laundry room, past the chapel, just far enough so no one could hear you scream. For once it looked like Officer Strife had no sympathy for her, wordlessly throwing her into the first available cell.

She kicked the metal frame of the bed, sending it screeching into the wall. Then screamed some more.

* * *

"I want her shipped out, the bitch!" Jihl hissed, sitting upon her bed.

Paine was running some tissue under the sink to dab her face, as her glasses had clipped her eyebrow as they flew off.

Officer Elena shushed her, but that was expected because she liked that other bitch more. The blonde haired officer stepped outside, radioing over to her brother, giving Jihl the chance to talk to Paine.

"I need a couple of pills from you," she whispered. "There's something I need to do."

The corner of Paine's mouth twitched in amusement, but she continued to press the cold compress against Jihl's face as if she hadn't heard.

Ever since Fang had arrived at Edenfell, she had proved nothing but bother for Jihl, who had run of the place almost from day one. Yuffie Kisaragi was always afraid of Jihl, and would never fail to provide peace offerings to her, whether it was chocolate or jewellery, it didn't matter.

With the arrival of the Al Bhed, Jihl was positive she could fill the girl with enough fear for her to do the same, however Fang and Yuffie had got in there first. But now she was down the block, where she would probably stay for at least a couple of days, Jihl saw the opportunity for taking back the reins.

"I'm sensing anarchy," the leather-clad woman said coolly. Jihl knew it meant she approved. "You'll need more than just me on your side."

Unfortunately, Paine was right. She was able to count on one hand the amount of friends she had in this place. Maybe it was time to acquire some allies.

"But can you do this for me?"

Rosch was counting on her, and she was counting on Rosch. She touched her face hesitantly, wincing instantly at the contact. This would be the last time anyone hit her, she vowed.

"Don't worry," Paine smirked. "It shall be done."

* * *

It was Vanille's turn to be upset, the redhead had watched in disbelief as Fang changed from a heartbroken mess, to an easily provoked one, all in a matter of days. Vanille wasn't sure what was wrong, but it was certainly down to Lebreau, who was visiting Fang earlier.

She wandered into their shared cell, and saw the ripped up photo instantly. She jumbled the pieces to complete the picture like a jigsaw, but the photo itself was irreparable.

"Oh, Fang. Your worst fears were confirmed, weren't they?" Vanille gathered the scraps, taking a deep breath.

It would be nice to talk to someone she was closer to, but Yuffie was nowhere to be seen, though she occasionally heard giggling in her cell, along with Rikku. Nevertheless, Vanille ran upstairs to Officer Elena, who stood outside Nabaat's cell on her radio.

"Cloud you're an absolute dick, _roger._" Elena hissed under her breath as she approached.

"Miss, I need to speak with you."

Elena coughed, replacing her walkie-talkie back onto her belt. "What's the matter?"

"It's about Fang… I think the reason she's acting like this is because of her girlfriend."

She held out the tattered pieces of the photo, watching as Elena earnestly flicked throw the pieces as if looking through a photo album.

"Well I've got a report to write about this," she said, massaging her temple. "But this will help. I will mention it in the report and to Miss Farron."

Vanille let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, you're the best officer here, Elena."

Trusting Elena to help Fang out with her mess, Vanille went to visit Yuffie, who resided on the ground floor in the four-person cell.

She was well received; more so by Nora who stuck to the younger girls out of utter fear of everyone else. She was scribbling away in what looked like a diary, as Yuffie lay from the top bunk like a sloth, whilst Rikku was hurriedly having a wee.

"Oh hey," Yuffie smiled, patting her bunk. "We were just about to have a party."

"A party?" Vanille's face twisted in confusion.

"Yuffie shut your fucking face. It's bad enough that Nora knows." Rikku whined, flushing the toilet.

Despite not knowing what they were on about, Vanille made herself comfortable aside Yuffie, who sat up and offered her an arm. Her sodden mood must've been obvious if Yuffie noticed.

"Fang was sent down the block for hitting Jihl. Lebreau just broke up with her so she's in a bad way, and Jihl just went for her verbally."

Yuffie had one of Rikku's goggles around her forehead, which oddly suited her. She also had a few cigarettes lined up behind her ear, using the goggle straps as a hold. The dark haired girl followed Vanille's line of sight, and offered one, and for once Vanille accepted.

"So yeah this party," Yuffie smiled, reaching out to Rikku.

Rikku fiddled with her goggles until a compartment opened up, and a handful of small tablets poured out. So this was their idea of a party, Vanille had an idea why people got off on the stuff, the escapism was as near as they'd get to freedom for a lot of the women here. Nora also shunned the pills, preferring to bite on the end of her pen thoughtfully.

"Would you all laugh if I said we _should _throw a sort of celebration?" Nora said timidly. "For Fang - she's been ever so nice to me, and she's stood up for you two lately. Do you think it would cheer her up?"

It was a good idea, but it would require Fang to actually be on the wing.

"I guess I could spare a few more," Rikku muttered, taking a stock take on her pills, but Vanille shook her head.

"She'd want a good drink, not some bloody hypers."

"That could be arranged," Nora blurted.

And in unison, Yuffie and Vanille popped their heads over the bed, looking at Nora with wide eyes.

"_Ed'c ymfyoc dra xiead uhac…_" Rikku chuckled, taking a drag of Vanille's cigarette.

"Quiet ones indeed," Vanille giggled, making the Al Bhed do a double take.

"You understood that?"

Maybe she should've told Rikku sooner to make her feel more at home, but in truth she only understood parts, as the Al Bhed language was similar to Pulsian.

Vanille poked her tongue out_. "Ed'c hud duu tevvanahd du Pulsian."_

The darker haired thief was looking at them both with an open mouth. "What the fuck are you guys saying? Anyways, back to you, Nora."

The middle-aged woman smiled, staring out into space. For once she looked rather at peace with herself, like her cellmates and Vanille were part of her friendship circle.

"Back when my husband and I had just got married we used to make our own wine," Nora licked her lips at the memory. "I think… no, I _do_ remember the recipe."

All three young girls looked at Nora in awe at what she was suggesting. There had been plenty of inmates who had smuggled alcohol into the prison, whether through visitation or by other means. But to make it right under Farron's nose was either damn right brilliant or damn right stupid.

Yuffie grabbed Vanille, screeching her approval as she nearly toppled them both from the bunk. The blonde thief, who had also taken a hyper pill, simply began to nod, her unique spiral eyes flashing bright.

"Just tell us what we need."

As Nora listed a complex recipe including fruit, sugar, yeast, and heat amongst other things, Vanille's brain began to whirl into action. Fruit could easily be gathered at breakfast and lunchtimes, the sugar also. But it would be the covertness of the operation that would prove difficult.

"And the other thing we'll need is time," Nora said, scribbling in the back of her diary. "It'll take a good month for any sort of drink to be ready."

"A month?" Rikku gasped, "We'll just have to speed up the fermentation process."

Thankfully it would be lunchtime soon, and they would all have a craving for apples. Although it would be so much easier to have drinks smuggled in, Vanille, nor anyone in the room had the contacts to make it a reality.

* * *

At lunchtime, Lightning decided to be present in the staffroom, in order to seem friendlier to those she hadn't acquainted herself with yet. From her place atop one of the desks, she could see nothing but adhering prisoners milling about the cafeteria, even the Al Bhed girl seemed happy.

She was hit from either side from different smells; food drifting from the kitchen, and coffee from Steiner's mug. A large man needed a large cup, and the one he drank from was twice the size of her own.

"Jihl looks even more beat up than before," Lightning commented, noting a fresh cut just above her eye.

Steiner scoffed, slurping noisily from his mug, but his eyes watched Lightning's reaction. When he realised that she had no idea what had happened previously, he lowered the newspaper he was reading.

A pleased smile graced Steiner's lips. "One of the prisoners decked her one right after visitation."

"And when was I going to be told about this?"

As if on cue, Elena burst through the door looking exhausted, but most importantly, with a file tucked under her arm. The short woman had removed her black officer's jumper, revealing her white shirt, decorated with epaulettes on the shoulders.

"Good afternoon?" Lightning asked satirically, staring point blank at the folder.

"I've just finished writing this up, there was an incident regarding inmates Yun and Nabaat earlier. I just didn't want to disturb you during your meeting."

At the mention both names, Lightning could only roll her eyes. For someone who was not a known troublemaker, Fang was doing a good job in looking like one. She flicked through the report, to find they had rightly placed Yun in solitary where she would wait for adjudication.

"Send her to my office after lunch."

"But Miss Farron, her adjudication."

"And who better to judge, than me?" Elena winced. "If you would be so kind as to do so, Elena."

So as not to have any hard feelings, Lightning invited Elena to sit down, and she took the opportunity to ask about her life. Elena and Cloud were renowned for having an explosive working dynamic; one minute working well together, and the next arguing, as siblings do.

Elena had been in the middle of a childhood story, when Lightning noticed Yaag Rosch wander to Jihl's table, leaning on both arms as he spoke. Through a panelled wall, and above all the other chatter, Lightning had no idea what they were saying, but it looked pretty serious. Then Jihl slowly rubbed her hand across his arm, causing Yaag to grin devilishly.

Lightning frowned, unsure how to feel as she witnessed the two act very familiar with each other. Yaag brushed his silvery hair from his face, his eyes flicking towards the staffroom. He then stood abruptly, quickly moving to another table, as he did his rounds.

Was there substance to Fang's accusation after all?

The room was a flurry of laughter as Elena had finished her story, and Lightning faked a smile.

"You'll have to tell me more stories some time."

At that, Elena's face lit up, pleased to hear her superior express interest. Next time Lightning would have to listen indefinitely, and not pull her attentions elsewhere.

Out in the cafeteria, Rosch was leaning casually against a wall near where the prisoners were required to dispose of their leftovers. His arms were crossed, staring across the room in disinterest as Jihl sauntered over. Lightning had to squint to see it, but Yaag was surely speaking to her, although his lips barely moved. Then Jihl swooped in dangerously close to his ear, her ridiculously long hair falling from her ear as she spoke.

Lightning pretended to busy herself with making a hot drink just in case, the fringe of her hair obscuring her eyes enough to make it appear as though she was focussing on the counter.

Finally Yaag ushered Jihl away, but his hand was pressed on Jihl's lower back; incorrect conduct from an officer.

Lightning moved swiftly to the staffroom door, her hand still on the handle as she called him over. "Yaag, can I have a word?"

The silver-haired officer glanced at Jihl's retreating back. "Yes, ma'am?"

She pulled him away from the staffroom and as far away from the remaining prisoners as possible before addressing him sternly.

"You're pretty close to Miss Nabaat, aren't you?"

Yaag's face remained passive and unsuspecting. "I'd like to think I'm friendly with most of the girls here."

His voice was uncharacteristically sweet.

"Oh, I'm sure," Lightning said, unconvinced with the act he was putting on. "But I want you to be careful, Yaag. You might as well know that an allegation has been made against you and if I find that any part of it is true…"

Yaag's pleasant façade dropped, and he shifted to stand tall and ominous over her.

"Let me guess… was it that man-hating dyke?"

His turn of phrase took her aback. "Excuse me?"

"Yun, of course. That rug-muncher has never liked me or any man in this case."

Well of course he would guess his accuser right off the bat, after the uproar she had caused the last time.

"Fang gets on well with Officer Strife so I've seen," Lightning smirked, disproving him right away.

Yaag growled and stormed off before she could dismiss him. It was imperative that she speak to Fang soon, and thankfully lunchtime would be over soon, although Lightning was yet to eat.

"How can I help you, Miss Farron?" One of the serving girls asked as she approached the serving table, ignoring the small line of prisoners left waiting to be served.

Lightning eyed what was left, looking for something she could take away and eat without any mess. "No apples today?"

"All gone I'm afraid - a prisoner favourite today." The girl apologised.

The governor shrugged away empty-handed, with the exception of Elena's report, towards her office.

When she sat down, she opened the report right away, her practiced eyes scanning the document quickly.

_Obvious signs of distress prior to attacking Miss Nabaat… please see the item attached to the back of report._

* * *

There was only so much pacing, sleeping, and thinking a person could do in a solitary cell, before it got too tedious. Fang's only visitor all day had been a very irritable Officer Steiner, who practically threw her food at her every time she was due to eat. Neither of them spoke a single word to each other either, because if you didn't have anything good to say, why speak at all?

It was her personal officer Elena who took her to Miss Farron's office, telling her that Vanille and the others were asking after her. It had only been a few hours since she had been banged up, so the prospect of people missing her already was rather humorous to her.

"Take a seat, Fang." The governor ordered, already sitting down.

She was wearing a blue and white pinstripe shirt, with a white collar and cuffs. The softness of the blue on her shirt complemented the softness of her hair colour nicely.

As Fang took a seat, Miss Farron was looking at her with slight amusement. "So… here we are again. I'm not tolerating this bad behaviour any longer, Fang. So tell me, why did you hit Jihl Nabaat?"

The intensity of the governor's gaze could probably make mountains move, or strip bark from trees if she stared long enough. Or, heaven forbid, have Fang out of her clothes in seconds with those icy pools.

"I'm sure your little report says it all," Fang huffed. "But the bitch deserved it."

Fang stood abruptly. She might as well make her own way back to solitary for all the good this meeting would do.

"Sit down," the governor hissed, banging her palm against the desk. Fang obeyed. "I don't suppose _this_ has anything to do with it?"

Fang was half expecting Miss Farron to flash a bag of drugs at her, to blame her mood swings and behaviour on stuff she wouldn't touch in a million years, but no. In her hand were the torn and massively undesired pieces of her ex's face.

"Bad break up?" Lightning guessed.

"Get that away from me," Fang warned. "Don't you dare use that to get through to me. Is this your way of taking the piss?"

The governor's face was still unreadable for the most part, but she swallowed thickly at Fang's words.

Fang continued, pacing around the back of the chair as she gathered her argument. "Look, I don't know what people like you and Rosch, and Jihl have against me loving another bloody woman… but if you could all just fuck off-"

The governor was out of her seat in a flash, grabbing Fang by the wrist and holding it in line with their faces. Fang wasn't expecting such a firm grip, nor was she anticipating that Miss Farron wouldn't let go until she looked her in the eyes.

"I wasn't insinuating anything of the sort, so grow up."

"Fine, so how long am I down the block for this time?" Fang pulled her arm free, but refused to sit down.

Miss Farron chuckled at her, returning to her desk. Each and every movement was slow and deliberate as she picked up the clear sleeve that contained the photo pieces, brazenly binning them.

"I'm not sending you anywhere but back to the wing," Lightning Farron said, and Fang just looked on. "If I do I'll only be sending you in a downward spiral of hate, loneliness, and bitterness. You'll be leaving my office with a warning."

Fang's face softened. "Just a warning?"

"Don't ask me why, because anyone else and they'd have had a full seven days down there. Now go."

She pushed the door handle down, but paused. The photo. Farron had made a bold statement by binning it, because had it been anyone like Rosch she would have lunged for him. It was as if she was being told to make a fresh start of things.

"Burn it for me," Fang gestured towards the bin, and Lightning nodded, lips turning skywards slightly.

Elena wasn't far, but she already seemed to know what cell to take her to.

"Elena I'm sorry about before, you were just trying to be nice."

The blonde girl let her pass through one of the security gates first, and Fang waited for her to lock it again before walking on.

"It's alright, Fang. Break ups are hard and I guess break ups in here are much harder. Miss Farron is quite something though, isn't she? Always knows what she's doing."

A strange feeling washed over her at the mention of the governor, an unlikely ally. "Yeah, quite something…"

* * *

The yard was unusually full today, as a rare hot sun shone over Edenfell's walls, and everyone had the same idea of basking in it. Contrary to popular belief, Paine enjoyed being outside, because if she closed her eyes long enough she could fool herself into being anywhere else. Except she couldn't do that right now as Jihl was sitting next to her, whining over her face, and when she wasn't doing that she was gloating over Fang being sent down the block.

"Well if you insist on getting your arse kicked once a day of course you're going to look hideous."

She heard Jihl snarl at that remark, and felt her flick cigarette ash onto the exposed flesh of her stomach. Paine opened her eyes; Jihl was staring off towards the potting sheds.

"Well how about protecting me for once? And where are those pills you promised?"

"Everyone's claiming they don't have anything since they've enforced the crackdown. They'll be talking bollocks, they're just afraid."

Rikku was afraid of her the most, that much she knew for sure. Every night the blonde would sleep beside Yuffie who slept on the opposite bunk above Nora, whilst Paine continued intimidating her from afar.

It was all about timing. Let Rikku believe she was staying a safe distance and weaken her suspicion. This was the only way she could get the giddy pair of thieves to leave their shared cell unattended, because Nora always sought after Vanille. It was perfect because it allowed her the opportunity to search the cell for the Al Bhed's stash of drugs that Paine was confident she had. So far her searched had not been fruitful.

Paine tore at the grass beneath her as she thought hard; the ripping sound music to her ears.

Her regular providers couldn't, or wouldn't supply her, and that was _with _threats of violence. There was always the risky option of getting pills brought in through visitation or, the chancy way many preferred – thrown over the wall. But ever since the Al Bhed scum had joined Edenfell, she and Yuffie always seemed either spaced out or giggly, therefore they were certainly getting drugs from somewhere, but where?

A sickening giggle in the distance threw her out of her thoughts and at first Paine looked at Jihl, but she lay flat, sucking on her cigarette in large breaths. Then, her roommates skipped by in their annoyingly childish way. Always grinning, always finding something funny. Yuffie was never this hyped up, not around her old buddies Fang or Vanille.

Therefore it _had_ to be Rikku who was in possession of something, a lot of something.

Paine pulled out a large clump of grass, imagining it to be Rikku's precious hair. It was at that moment the Al Bhed looked her way, and Paine watched her gulp. Maybe it was time to talk sooner rather than later.

Leaving Jihl to nap, Paine dusted her knees and headed straight for the two thieves. The blonde instantly flung herself behind Yuffie, who tried her best to appear intimidating.

"Stay out of this Yuffie, if you know what's best for you. Rikku, I just want to talk."

Officer Steiner's presence was made clear not far from where they stood, as he strolled across the bordering paths just in her peripheral vision. Paine would have to be careful.

"And by talking you mean kicking the shit out of her?" Yuffie scoffed.

Slowly, Paine reached for the smaller girl's bandaged nose, gripping it like she was about to play a child's game. Yuffie froze, knowing one wrong word or action would result in agony. Paine squeezed her fingers together, enough to make the girl's nose hurt, but not enough to cause lasting damage.

"Be a good girl Yuffie and let me talk with your little friend."

"_Ahuikr!_" Rikku finally shouted. "Do as she says, Yuffie."

Paine released her hand, leaving Yuffie to silently tread away with her tail between her legs, as Rikku directed them to a more private spot near the industrial bins.

"I wondered how long it would take you," Rikku said with a weak smile.

Paine grabbed the Al Bhed by the shoulder, digging her thumb into the flesh above her collarbone. "I want whatever hypers or tranqs you've got."

"What makes you think I've got any?" Rikku smirked, until Paine applied more pressure to her small frame. "Ah!"

"Because you're _you_," Paine hissed through bared teeth. "You lied and cheated your way through life then, you'll do it now. Don't think I'll ever forget that time in Treno, all those greens, tranqs, and hypers you stole… they blamed me then set me up later."

The girl in her grasp buckled from the pain, falling onto her knees in tears. "You didn't think I was going to sit back with your little Gullwings whilst they plotted against my own family?"

Paine took a step back, casually combing her gelled hair back behind her ear as she checked for spectators. When she turned back, Rikku and her dangerously nimble fingers had already produced a small bag of hyper pills.

The Al Bhed stood, thrusting the bag hard into Paine's chest and stormed away, presumably to Yuffie. Paine clutched the bag tightly in her fist, quietly re-joining Jihl on the grass, who was still dozing on the grass. When Jihl didn't stir Paine kicked at her side, and Jihl shot up ready for a fight.

"Ouch, bitch."

"Pass your smokes."

The spectacled woman reluctantly threw them over, watching Paine with a frown as she helped herself. As Paine took a cigarette, she dropped the hypers into the carton, smirking as Jihl's eyes lit up.

"When did you..?"

"Never mind that," Paine cut off. "Lighter."

For once, Jihl lit the cigarette for her as it dangled from her lips when usually it would be the other way around. She was close to asking Jihl whether she intended on using hypers for her own personal use – a third tier cell was always a perk for private affairs as such, but the buxom woman stood abruptly and left. She was never one to say thanks anyway.

So Paine smoked alone, resting her arms on her knees as a few of the cons prepared themselves for duty time, for some that meant staying in the yard but adorning overalls ready to garden.

But there was something not right; by the sheds stood Fang - Fang who should have been locked in solitary and relieved of duties. The woman was leaning against the shed, a cheeky grin on her face. Once or twice Fang's eyes landed on her, but never for long.

_Well shit, Jihl isn't going to be pleased. _Paine thought, crushing the fag end into the ground.

She might as well warn her.

* * *

Jihl rushed into the shade of the building, welcoming the coolness. Before she could even get to the wing she would have to pass through two iron gates, and pray that Yaag was somewhere close. The carton of cigarettes had felt as though they were burning in her hand, so she shoved it down her cleavage instead, out of sight.

The corridor finally opened up into the cafeteria which was cleared of its tables and chairs whilst it was not being used. A quick glance into the staffroom told her that Yaag wasn't there, just Cloud Strife who was in the process of leaving.

"Are you alright Jihl? I thought you would be outside, it's so nice out there."

He had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up and his skin was slightly flushed from the warmth. It was rather cute, as it looked more like he was blushing.

"Just looking for Mr Rosch, sir. He's my personal officer."

"He was here a minute ago, just went to the toilet," Strife's eyes lit up as he looked behind her. "Oh Yaag! Jihl here wanted to see you."

Rosch was wiping his damp hands on his trousers, looking cautiously between Officer Strife and Jihl. Out of Strife's line of view, Jihl gave a small nod, and suddenly Yaag was pleased to see her.

"Anything I can help you with, Jihl?"

"I'm worried about one of my friends, sir. If I could talk to you in private that would be great."

Strife took the hint and promptly left, giving the two free reign over the staffroom. Yaag watched as a few prisoners milled around in the wing, but it was relatively quiet.

"You got some then?" he asked, his voice urgent.

Jihl pulled the cigarette carton from her cleavage and threw it over. Yaag caught it in one hand, shaking the box. Pleased that there was indeed something he could plant, he pocketed everything.

"Follow me to the second floor and I'll plant it now while she's in solitary. I want you to keep an eye out."

Jihl went first to avoid the suspicion. To her left was that miserable middle aged woman that Paine had to share with, who was quietly reading. The woman looked up briefly, before realising it was safer to keep them glued to the words in front of her. Fang's cell was empty, and from the second floor she gestured for Officer Rosch to follow.

"Shit, I forgot she shared a cell," he cursed when he got there, entering anyway.

Jihl remained outside, casually leaning on the wall as lookout, resting a foot on the yellow bricks. "Where are you gonna put them?"

There was no answer, just more hushed swearing. Jihl kept watching the ground floor, surprised when Paine jogged in, looking around. Jihl rushed to the safety bars, leaning over as she tried to get Paine's attention.

The woman had spotted her anyway, and rushed up the metal stairs and a breakneck speed.

"What the fuck's gotten into you?" Jihl hissed.

"It's Fang, she's out of solitary."

"That bitch is what?" Jihl gasped, and without warning Yaag poked his head out of Fang's cell. He had heard it too, letting out a long string of curses.

What was the new governor playing at letting Yun out? This was the worst news she had heard in a while. To top it all off, Rosch looked just as panicked, his face as red as Strife's had been earlier.

"Both of you downstairs. Now."

Although Jihl was trying to usher Paine along with her, the woman stopped on the stairs, glaring at Fang's cell door. "What are you guys up to?"

"We've planted those hypers in her cell. We're going to get rid of her once and for all."

As the trio gathered on the ground floor, Rosch was beginning to sweat and pace around. If anything he was creating more suspicion.

"It'll be fine, Paine won't say anything," she insisted. "She's my right hand in this place."

Jihl didn't want to feel worried for him, but she did. Rosch was her ally here, one of the only people here that made her happy to see the next day.

"Go clean yourself up, you're a mess," Paine advised and waited until Rosch had left before speaking again. "You're helping the screw now? It's not enough that you're fucking him?"

Fists clenched, Jihl was ready to hit her for that comment, but it was Nora's retreating form that reminded her where she was. There was no benefit from striking one of her only allies.

"Come on let's go back, the longer we stay here the more of the blame can be pinned on us."

She began to walk, but Paine wasn't following. She spun on her heel impatiently, to find that Paine looking skyward. Now was not the time to be pensive.

"_Now_," she ordered.

"Go on without me, I'm just getting another carton of cigs. "

Jihl shrugged, leaving Paine behind. She really did need more friends in here she realised, because as she left the building she found no one worth speaking to.

* * *

On the way to the sheds Nora paid a visit to Vanille, wondering how she was getting on with securing ingredients. Out of the four in on the makeshift alcohol, Vanille was tasked with the hardest thing on their list yet – yeast. Earlier, Yuffie had dropped off some fruit from the canteen, and Nora had spooned plenty of sugar into her pockets.

Upon entering Vanille's cell she found no one, therefore when she asked Officer Elena, the next words startled her.

"She's just gone to the hospital wing," Elena smiled. "Oh nothing too bad, she not hurt or anything."

Nora walked away unconvinced, hoping the girl was okay. If she was unable to care for her beautiful son Hope while in here, she would mother the next best person she could find.

Vanille happened to be the next best thing. Nora had always longed for a daughter, and the bubbly redhead was perfect. Yuffie and Rikku were perhaps a bit too naughty for her liking, whereas Vanille was innocent like Hope.

_Innocent, that's a good one,_ thought Nora.

There was another surprise waiting for the woman once she got to the sheds, as a very pleased looking Fang waved at her.

"Surprised to see me?"

"Oh Fang, they let you go!" Nora squealed, pulling her into a hug. "What happened?"

An apple fell out of her pocket, tumbling down the grass until it halted short of a bed of soil. Fang didn't seem the least bit suspicious, picking it up for her and tossing it Nora's way. As Nora caught it, sadness flashed in Fang's eyes for a split second.

"The governor was more lenient because my girlfriend broke up with me… she thinks I'll only get depressed on my own."

"So were you two together, erm... long?" Although Nora was already aware that Fang was a lesbian, the topic was still uncomfortable for her.

The topic was proving difficult for Fang too, who was rubbing the palms of her hands into her eyes to halt any tears.

"Five years… and after all I've done for her this is how she repays me. She's the reason I'm in here, Nora. An off-duty police officer kept harassing her while we were out - ignoring her attempts to say she wasn't interested, and then he grabbed her and took her outside. When I ran out he had torn her clothes and came close to raping her." Fang made a fist with her hand, mimicking her actions on that night. "I cracked the bottle I was holding over his head. And you know what? He laughed, just laughed. He continued to try and rape her so I… I stuck the remainder of the bottle in his neck."

Nora gasped; having had no previous hint to what Fang was in for. Despite the tough exterior and her quickness to anger, Fang did not seem the type to kill for the hell of it, because she was the protective sort, not a destructive person. Nora didn't doubt that she would have done the same if it had been Hope in trouble.

"Fang, can I have a word?"

It was the wing governor, wisely staying away from all the mud and grass and weeds. Fang excused herself, jogging over to the governor as if she was heading towards a good friend.

Miss Farron led them down the path, and Nora was pleased to seize a moment on working on the homemade alcohol mix. Grabbing a watering can, she rushed into the shed, closing the door to block any unwanted eyes. She poured the sugar from her pockets carefully into the watering can, before adding the fruit.

The quicker they got yeast the better, as it meant the fermentation could happen sooner. It was just a matter of hiding it where no one else would think to look. The shed was the best place, but anyone could access it. Nora paced, each step causing the wooden boards under her feet to creak in protest.

She looked down at her feet. Would it be possible to keep it all under the floorboards? Nora grabbed a rusted rake, prying it between the gaps; the more she worked at it the more obvious the answers were.

The soil would keep the cocktail warm, especially if she packed it tight enough! The floorboards might have been old, but they were still tough, breaking Nora out into a sweat.

* * *

"What can I do for you, Miss Farron?"

Relaying her story to Nora had brought sour feelings to the surface, but the simple calling of her name from the governor had boosted her mood entirely. Lightning Farron walked slightly ahead, arms folded as they walked a leisurely pace.

"I have a proposition for you, which I hope you'll accept. You see, I think the communication between my officers and prisoners could be improved, and you Fang, you're the key."

Fang raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

The governor smirked at her confusion, but carried on. "Any prisoner suggestions or complaints, I want you to be the one they go to. In turn, you would tell me. You'd be my head girl, if you will."

Fang crossed her arms. "Like a bloody school prefect?"

Miss Farron stopped, looking confidently towards her as if she already knew Fang's answer. But then, how could Fang say no? The governor had done her a huge favour in not secluding her from the wing, so maybe this was her plan all along.

"Well for a start you can move the pool tables into the wing, and make that spare common room a gym, or something."

The fair woman nodded earnestly, the cogs already turning in her mind as she looked off into the distance. Fang enjoyed being able to just look at the other woman without her intense blue eyes staring back. She wasn't granted much of an opportunity, as the woman was already facing her again.

"Did I mention you have to wear a badge?" Miss Farron smirked.

"Oh piss off," Fang snorted.

Lightning Farron's laugh was pure, and rang with a beautiful melody. Although she didn't seem the type to laugh, much like Officer Strife, such rare occurrences as this always made Fang smile.

"But seriously, because it's you I'll do it," Fang said genuinely. "Thanks for the opportunity, Lightning."

If the governor minded Fang referring to her on a first name basis, she didn't show it. The inmate was just about to apologise for the discourtesy, but Lightning just smiled again.

"Thank you, Fang. I'll also take your suggestion and see what I can do."

With that, Lightning parted, leaving Fang in high spirits. She cracked the bones in her knuckles, eager to get her hands stuck in with the new snapdragon saplings the prison had provided.

* * *

Cloud kicked his feet up on the coffee table, opening his magazine on the article he last left off on, as he nibbled the edges of a biscuit.

"Are motor magazines all you read?"

Cloud looked up to see the boss wander in along with his sister and Tifa, who was already at the kettle grabbing everyone's favourite mugs. He chuckled, turning the magazine so that Lightning could see.

"Let's save the newspapers with page three topless models for Yaag, I'll only be studying the chassis of a motorbikes, thanks."

Elena scoffed, grabbing his magazine and throwing it over her shoulder. "No wonder our mother thinks you're gay."

"I've fancied plenty of women thanks," Cloud growled, hastily picking the magazine up.

He could already feel his cheeks ablaze; she knew exactly how to push his buttons.

Elena sat down in the seat opposite, picking through the newspapers and magazines on the coffee table herself. He could see she wasn't finished.

"You don't even know any girls outside of the family. Except for people at work," Elena's grin doubled in size. "Anyone we know?"

Cloud glanced around the room, pleased that the other two were feigning ignorance of their conversation, but they weren't deaf, and nor was he blind, as Lightning smirked in the corner once in a while. Tifa turned quickly from the counter with too many mugs in her hand, the liquid poured over the floor as she hastily placed them on the table in front of everyone.

"I'm sorry but we've ran out of sugar," she said, sucking the mixture of tea and coffee from her fingers.

Miss Farron winced as she took a sip of her unsweetened coffee. "Well there are worse things to be interested in other than bikes - the real shame is your motorbike is a heap of scrap metal thrown together."

He knew she was kidding, because they often discussed about the time and money it took for Cloud to customise his bike.

"That 'heap of scrap metal' could outrun, outperform, and outshine your store bought Gestalt any day."

"Your bike model is a Fenrir type right, Cloud?" Tifa asked, sounding rather unsure, but before he could answer something fell onto his lap from between one of the glossy pages.

He pulled out an envelope, puzzled at how he could have missed such an obvious, out of place bulk in his magazine. Elena leaned over as he opened the envelope, which was not addressed to anyone.

"What's that you've got?" His sister asked, scanning the quickly scrawled writing.

He closed his eyes as he finished reading, dread kicking in. "Lightning ma'am, you might wanna see this."

The governor had already grabbed the letter before Elena could complain that she hadn't finished reading. He watched Lightning's eyes flick left to right, but her expression remained stoic.

"And where's she now?"

"Who?" Tifa was leaning in now, annoyance etched over her face from being left out of the loop.

"Fang Yun," Lightning sighed, rising from her chair.

Cloud rose to join her. "She requested a shower after yard duty, so she'll be still there. I'll radio around for Vanille's whereabouts."

"Do you want me to do anything, Miss Farron?" Tifa asked, still looking confused about the situation.

"Grab Jessie from reception and tell her we've got two for strip searches."

The room was a flurry of movement, and Cloud was left pacing the staffroom grasping his radio tightly. It had better all be a hoax, because this was the last thing they needed. One report of a drugs find and the rest of the wing would be in trouble. Most importantly he hoped that Fang and Vanille weren't so foolish as to dabble in drugs.

He followed Miss Farron towards the level two cells, missing every second step along the way, his keys jangling in his pocket. Naturally Elena wasn't far behind him, as she was Fang and Vanille's personal officer, Elena would feel some responsibility if something was found.

The trio stopped at the cell with the understanding that Cloud and Elena would search it under the supervision of Lightning. His sister moved instantly to the drawers, pulling out all the socks and underwear as if she were sweeping crumbs off a table.

He caught sight of some of the pieces and turned away, moving towards the bunk bed in order to strip it. The lining of the pillowcases were flat as expected, and the pillows showed no signs of cuts or tears to hide anything in, but he patted it down for good measure.

Lightning was watching from the doorway, eyes moving frantically from him to Elena as she inwardly worried over what they might find.

"Nothing in the drawers," Elena confirmed, moving over to the sink and toilet.

"Top bunk is clear," Cloud added, having pulled the top mattress off completely.

But it wasn't Vanille's bunk he expected to find anything in anyway. Repeating the same process with Fang's bed, his search of the pillow was inconclusive, which pleased him. Next he ripped the fitted sheet away, revealing the shabby mattress below which was littered with faded stains and burn marks, but no signs of tear.

Behind him, Elena was standing precariously on the toilet seat, with a sleeve tightly rolled up.

Her brown eyes closed as her hand dived into the toilet cistern and had a good feel about, her face scrunched up in revulsion. Eventually she pulled her arm back, looking relieved it was over. "God, I know it is clean water and all but it still freaks me out."

Cloud flipped Fang's mattress aside, the silence bringing a heavy tension – but there was still nothing to be found.

"False call it seems," Cloud said, taking a step back. Lightning shook her head, her mouth a thin line.

"They're still to be searched yet, and there's still the possibility that they've chucked it out the window."

He and his sister took a step back simultaneously, eyeing their destruction, whilst Elena used one of the bed sheets to dry her arm.

"Can we find out who wrote that letter if the allegations are false?" she asked.

Sometimes he wondered if Elena was really related. "Of course not, all tip-offs are treated in confidentiality and anything like letters are allowed to be kept anonymous."

"Oh, right yeah."

The governor was unusually quiet, he noticed, scanning the mess with a frown. Of course it must be hard for her as this was her first governor job, and to be thrown in the deep end like this. Naturally the stress didn't show on her expression, just an occasional flicker of something in her eyes.

"Has someone been naughty down there?" Jihl hummed, watching from the top level. Cloud ignored her, because he found out quite early on that she got off on any sort of response.

Behind him, Lightning's radio crackled to life, and he could hear Jessie's voice loud and clear.

'_Both inmates have come up clean, ma'am.'_

Elena cheered, and Cloud sighed in huge relief. The governor was still holding her radio tightly, bringing it close to her lips.

"Thank you, and if you could please let them know why they've been singled out for a search, that would be a great help. "

_'Of course.'_

The radio fizzled out, leaving the trio in a mixture of emotions.

Elena chuckled. "It might be an idea to sweeten Fang up after that, I mean Vanille won't be happy but she's not likely to get violent, is she?"

"Well unless you can get her back with her girlfriend, I doubt she wants much else," Cloud said, combing his hand through his hair. "Unless-"

"-leave it to me." Miss Farron interjected, and everyone parted ways.

The sudden requirement for a cell search meant that Cloud couldn't remember where he needed to be next, and when Lightning had dismissed them, he was left standing on the wing scratching his head.

Luckily, he caught sight of Tifa, opening the gates for the disgruntled cellmates that had just been searched. Vanille was holding a prescription from the medical ward and poor Fang still had wet hair from her shower.

"Hey Cloud, bet you're pleased nothing came up," Tifa smiled.

He watched Fang and Vanille rush back to their cell to take in the shock of the mess. It was unfortunate that their cell had to be trashed, and that despite being innocent they were forced to clean up the mess that the officers made.

"I think everyone is."

There was a moment of silence, and Tifa cleared her throat. "How about we have a drink after work? I can tell you where Vanille has a tattoo."

"Vanille has a tattoo?" Cloud smirked. "Is this discovery thanks to the strip search?"

Tifa nodded, her face bright red, which made him think that the tattoo was in a private place.

"Yeah go on then, but just one."

The brunette squealed, her hair bouncing behind her as she skipped off. Cloud chuckled after her - she must've been dying for a drinking partner.

* * *

The corridor to the office block was just in sight for Lightning, who attempted to avoid every single piece of eye contact along the way. She would be lying to herself if she said that the note in the staffroom hadn't frightened her one bit, because it would have screwed up her master plan with Fang. What good was an ally on the inside if she was going down for being in possession of drugs?

As soon as she entered her office she closed the door behind her and leaned upon it, a breath of relief escaping her.

"Bad news?"

Yaag was sitting on the arm of the visitor's chair with a menacing grin. His unexpected presence caused her heart to leap into her throat in fright. The man was disconcertingly well informed about something that had just happened only moments ago.

"She's finally showing her true colours that one."

Lightning circled the room to her desk; Yaag's intentions were still unclear to her. "What are you talking about?"

"Your little favourite, Yun," Yaag quipped. "I suspect you'll be shipping her away soon, three strikes she's had now."

Lightning bit her tongue, pleased that he wasn't _quite _up to date with current events. Yaag was looking smug with himself, but not for long.

"It seems you're out of the loop, Yaag," Lightning smirked. "Both the cell and its inmates came up clean. Now please get out of my office."

Yaag shot up, staring at her in disbelief. "You what?"

"You heard me, leave."

Yaag stormed to the door, yanking it open. "Next you'll be putting her in the bloody enhanced cells!"

"What a brilliant suggestion, Yaag."

Lightning's smirk widened as Yaag realised his mistake, and he made no effort to hide his anger, slamming her office door shut. It was certainly a good idea, and although all the level three cells were all occupied at the moment, they wouldn't be for long. They were due a new shipment of prisoners the following week, and on Friday it just so happened that they'd be saying goodbye to a level three inmate.

Her office phone rang, and Lightning broke out of her reverie to answer it. "Lightning Farron speaking."

_'Hello, beautiful. How's work?'_

"Cid, why are you calling here? What's the matter?"

_'Just called to say you'll need to come home early as possible tonight, I've booked us a table at a restaurant. I have some brilliant news.'_

Lightning pinched the bridge of her nose; eating out was the last thing she could be bothered with.

"Great, but look I've got a load of work to be doing so I'll see you later, bye."

She hung up the phone before Cid could speak again, grabbing the nearest prisoner file and a pen. The only upside was that there would be a nice choice of wines to look forward to.

* * *

**A/N: I everyone is finding it easy to keep track of events in this story, since the scenes would skip from one to another like it would a TV episode. **

**I was actually going to post this tomorrow, but what the heck. Any typos or continuity errors you spot, please tell me!**

**Enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Behind Lock and Key**

**Chapter 3: Mistakes**

* * *

She knocked back a couple of aspirin, cursing Cid for even suggesting they carry on drinking after they came back from the restaurant last night. Her head felt like she had been stabbed several times in the temple, and there was just not enough liquid in the world to quench her thirst.

Cid was poking around in the kitchen rustling up toast, as Lightning added the finishing touches of her make up in the bathroom mirror. He had taken her out the first time in order to celebrate that his business with Rygdea had been sponsored by a company specialising in military aircraft, which meant that Cid's expensive research could continue. They had been eating out most days after that, as Cid was too busy to cook, and Lightning was always home last.

The sun had only just risen an hour ago, and Lightning was adamant she would fit a run in before work, whether or not it made her late for work didn't matter.

"This run better make me feel better, or so help me I will be sick on Rosch's shoes," Lightning grumbled as she entered the kitchen. The smell of toast did nothing to appease her.

Cid laughed, his voice ringing out across the room. Normally it was like music to her ears, but as her hangover kicked in, she might as well have been at the top of a bell tower. As the toast popped out of the toaster, she deftly grabbed it before Cid, biting it dry in order to claim it.

"Before you go," he shouted after her, and she stopped and turned. "When you mentioned the other day that you'd need some serious funding to get some gym equipment installed… with the help of all the funds we've been getting, I'd like to be the one to supply it. On behalf of Rygdea too, of course."

The toast nearly jammed in her throat in surprise. "You would do that? I mean, that would be great. Fang would really be pleased."

"_Hey_, it's for the good publicity of my business, as well as for good relations between you and your prison, not just this Fang woman."

"You of all people should realise the importance of having someone on your side. She's a good person, and kind to the other inmates."

A sly grin formed on Cid's face. "You mean the ones that deserve it."

She instantly thought of Jihl, and realised how much of her job she had indulged to Cid, astounded that he had even listened or remembered.

"I'm leaving for real now, so give me a call later if you can sort out some gym equipment."

She didn't bother kissing him goodbye, as she was already late for her run.

* * *

Fang had woken before most of the officers had turned in to take over from the night staff, watching the sunrise from behind the front prison gates as if she were on holiday. Vanille was sleeping soundly on her top bunk, the only indication of her being there were her soft breaths.

The cell was still dark, so Fang had to be careful around the wooden side tables in case she kicked it and sent it skidding. She had propped herself carefully on one of the pieces of furniture, and hoisted herself up to get a good view.

The familiar purr of Strife's motorcycle could be heard from around the corner before he even turned into view, and she watched the blonde welcome Officer Lockhart who, bless her, ran after him every day. Unfortunately Officer Steiner arrived shortly after, in a beat up car everyone referred to as Old Rusty... just not out loud, or around Steiner.

But it was the sleek white car she was waiting for, although it didn't arrive for another twenty or so minutes.

It didn't take long to deduce that it belonged to Lightning; it was sophisticated, elegant, a whole class above the other cars, much like the governor herself.

Although Fang wasn't much of a morning person, she enjoyed getting up to watch the woman juggle files and takeout coffee, unaware that she was being observed. There was the occasional drop of keys, but she wasn't usually that clumsy – that was left for Monday mornings.

Only when Lightning had left did Fang feel tired. She ducked into bed, flinging the blankets over her waist and her arms behind her head.

Vanille hopped from her bunk, the vibrations sending her calendar scraping down the wall.

"Morning Fang."

As usual she quickly splashed her face with water and brushed her teeth, even passing Fang her toothbrush for her.

"I hope we don't start the day with a strip search," Vanille said, not without humour.

Fang scoffed, she didn't need to be reminded of that. "I've been trying to catch the governor about that, she's like her namesake – I can see her but I can't get a hold of her."

They hadn't so much as received an apology from Miss Farron yet, which irked her, but it didn't stop her from watching her come to work almost every morning.

They were ready long before anyone started letting them out of their cell, and it seemed that the officers were late in letting the second floor out, as the third floor inmates could be heard chattering on the metal landing.

"Stand back from the door!" A voice boomed, and Officer Steiner burst through the door, better late than never. "Better pack up Yun, you're ascending as of today."

Fang and Vanille exchanged puzzled looks as Steiner stood in wait with his usual grim expression.

"You deaf? You're moving up to the lifers unit upstairs as of today. Somebody certainly has a fan within the ranks."

The man smirked at his own joke.

"Hang on," Fang gawked. "I've never been offered this before."

"It looks like the new governor is having your case reviewed." Officer Steiner practically threw Vanille out of the way as he thrust a plastic bag into Fang's non-expecting hands. "Not sure why, myself… they should lock you up and throw away the key for killing a police officer."

Fang hurriedly thrust her belongings into the bag, a lump forming tightly in her throat from the memory of that fateful night.

_So much blood_.

"Now, now, if you throw away the key and leave me to rot, you're then out of a job. But I guess then you'd never afford to run that little rusty car."

Steiner's face flushed, which was the reaction she was after. In quick movements she continued to pile her life into the clear sack, attempting to separate her things from Vanille's without unintentionally stealing her belongings. She went to her cork board last, realising a lot of its contents were related to Lebreau. She picked the little bits, like photos of home and a postcard from an old inmate, but left the rest. How sad it was to think that half of her life revolved around someone so ungrateful.

She followed Steiner up the flight of stairs towards level three, grinning inwardly at the confusion of the others. Each step brought a different thought to Fang's mind but the most promising was that this was a new beginning. A fresh start, a fresh cell, and heck, even fresh bed sheets.

Most importantly she'd have new neighbours.

"What the fuck is this?" Nabaat had rushed back into her room to grab her glasses, as if she had a hard time believing what she was seeing.

"Hello neighbour," Fang smirked, flinging her belongings over her shoulder.

"WHY IS SHE HERE? THE BITCH TRIED TO KILL ME!"

Steiner pushed Jihl back to allow Fang to pass unharmed, not that Jihl would have been able to land a hit if she did go for her. "Shut it Nabaat or I'll put you on report."

The cell was the same size as the one she shared with Vanille, only this one had a single bed, a cheap desk, more storage in the form of small drawers and even curtains to match the blankets on her bed.

"My, my, isn't this lovely?" Fang fiddled with the curtains, which was a less than drab floral pattern. "And does this come with an increased weekly spend?"

Officer Steiner surveyed the room with great distaste, probably wishing that it was an execution chamber more than anything. "Yes, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to flaunt about with all the new privileges you'll be receiving, you hear me?"

Fang grinned. "Loud and clear, sir."

With that, Steiner left abruptly, and she could hear him shouting after Nabaat.

* * *

Despite her young appearance, Nora realised Vanille was an absolute genius. When she first heard Vanille had gone off to the medical bay a few days ago, she hadn't expected the girl's visits to be a ploy in acquiring yeast.

"I just told the doctor some lies about digestion ," she explained, walking alongside Nora down to the yard. "And he gave me yeast tablets essentially."

Nora offered to show Vanille where she was keeping the potent cocktail as soon as Vanille revealed the tablets in her hand. Now all they needed to do was apply the tablets and wait, but thankfully, with so many yeast pills with her, Nora assumed the fermentation process would quicken twofold. There was still a chance it wouldn't be ready, but it was only a matter of time before cell searches would turn to searches elsewhere in order to crackdown on drugs.

Vanille scanned the area for officers before they entered the dark shed, with Nora stepping in first.

"So, can you guess where it is?" she said, standing to the side in order to give Vanille a good view.

"Hmm," the girl pondered, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

At first the smaller girl tried looking under upturned plant pots, then rummaged around the smaller trays of foliage without success. She even looked up, expecting the home brewery to be suspended in mid-air.

"You've got me good," she admitted, until she stood on a floorboard and it wobbled.

Vanille shrieked as one end of the floorboard shot up, with her foot falling into the gap it created. At first Nora thought she had been hurt, but only when Vanille burst into a fit of giggles, did Nora deem it safe to laugh along.

"Oh my, Nora!" Vanille exclaimed out of joy more so than anguish. "You've definitely got the cunningness of a mother."

Fortunately, Vanille's accident hadn't damaged their prize, but the watering can was rather askew when Nora reached for it. Vanille did the honours of crushing the tablets between her fingers, watching the powder fall like snow into the mix.

"Speaking of which, Miss Farron told me that my husband's family have agreed to let my son Hope visit me," Nora said. She rapidly replaced the floorboard, ensuring it was secured down properly this time.

She asked Vanille to keep a look out as she did so, testing the board with her weight to see if it creaked or moved.

"So, why are you in here Nora?" Vanille queried. "I'll tell you mine, if you tell me yours."

It worried Nora how innocent Vanille made her prison sentencing sound, as if she didn't care, or found it a game.

_Still a child,_ she reasoned.

"Before I married my husband I was his financial advisor, and one day I found out I was pregnant with his child. I forced Bartholomew to marry me, so that my child wasn't born out of wedlock, but carried on working for him long after we were married," Nora smiled towards Vanille and some officers on patrol. "Unfortunately, in those fifteen years he was pilfering from the accounts of his boss and some of the business's clients. I found nothing suspicious, because I was more focussed on being a mother."

Did it always feel this good to let it all out in the open? She appreciated that Fang had queried on her first day but, that was then. The young girl beside her was proving to be a brilliant listener.

"I've been charged with four years for handling stolen funds, but I will protest it," she threw her fit into her palm. "For Hope's sake."

A soothing sensation shot up and down her back as Vanille gently stroked it. "And you?"

The hand shot away and Vanille curled her arms into her chest protectively. She looked around, pointing to a bench for them to sit at, and Nora complied. It took a little longer for Vanille to sit, as she deliberated between sitting with her knees up, or on the arm of the old bench.

She settled on leaning against the arm instead, embracing her knees, so that she was facing Nora. "I haven't had an easy life, even as a child. My father died in the army and my mother became an alcoholic. When I was taken into care, I thought I had the best of friends in one of my carers, be he…" Vanille licked her lips nervously, and this time it was Nora rubbing the younger girl's knee affectionately. "He raped me and I was so scared, but I never told anyone. He left the children's home when I was fifteen, and I finally thought I was free. But about three years ago he came back, and I- I set the place alight with him in it."

Nora inhaled sharply, unable to comprehend that the girl could be an arsonist. The only things fiery about this girl were her hair and personality. "Did he die?"

"No, but I heard he was diagnosed with a respiratory disease," Vanille huffed, a solitary tear ran down her pale cheek, but it had dissolved before either woman could wipe it away.

Overwhelmed with a single urge, Nora pulled Vanille into a hug, peppering her head with soft kisses.

"I'll watch over you here," she promised.

Vanille collapsed into her arms, which made her think that she'd needed a good hug for days.

"Good, you can help me avoid any more strip searches," she deadpanned.

It had been the talk of Wing Thirteen for days, and it definitely caught the attention of the wing's dealers and users, who had placed themselves on the down low. What especially caught her attention though, was how strong Vanille was being, and her heart swelled with pride as if the girl was indeed her own. In fact, most of the inmates she saw as friends were so young and yet so brave.

Her eyes scanned the yard for a second, falling on the advancing figure of Paine. It was always an automatic assumption of hers that with Paine came more pain, but she stopped just close enough to cast her shadow over them.

"Miss Farron wants you, says it's about your son."

Reluctantly, Nora let go of Vanille, who had made her feel safe at Paine's approach. "Oh, thank you Paine. Vanille, I'll see you later, yes?"

The last time she had spoken to Miss Farron, the governor had mentioned that it would be at least three weeks before she could see her son. This visit to Miss Farron had better bring good news, otherwise she would seek after the alcohol in the shed whether it was ready or not.

* * *

At lunchtime, Cloud found himself standing with Yaag watching over the prisoners. For once everything was running smoothly, and he noticed that the only wounds Jihl had were old ones, and even Yuffie had taken the bandage from her nose. Yaag was in a slight mood, and had been ever since the drugs search. He'd sulked through their drink with Tifa the other day too, and he couldn't tell why, nor would Yaag say anything.

"Oh, hang on look," Yaag stood a little bit taller as Tifa came through the cafeteria with another new prisoner. "We'll isn't she a pretty one? Look at that ass."

The girl had sandy blonde hair just above her shoulders, and looked an average height. Although Cloud agreed she had striking features, he disagreed with Yaag's bold comment. Then again, he always had something to say about the pretty ones.

"So, gotten any further with Tifa?" Yaag asked; his eyes still planted on the new inmate.

Cloud frowned. "What do you mean?"

Yaag's booming laughter placed him on edge, and the man even wiped a tear from his eye. "When you invited me along the other day, I thought it was a group thing, but when it was just you and Tifa… and then it came to light that she invited you first and only. Youu made me third wheel, Strife."

Cloud's mind whirred, and suddenly the room grew hot. "You mean? Tifa…?"

He tried to think back to every conversation he'd had with her lately, where she was always smiling, and always asking how he was. Then there was the interest in his bike, albeit a forced interest, but she tried.

He shoved both of his hands into his face, shaking his head vigorously. "I'm such a stupid twat."

It was just his luck that Tifa chose that moment in time to say hello, offering him a dubious, questioning look at why he was holding his head in his hands.

"Hey Yaag, have you seen the new prisoner we've just got in? I thought she'd be friendly but she's rather hostile."

"You mean the one that just went by? Cloud asked, but Tifa ignored him.

Yaag folded his arms. "What's she called?"

"Erm, Ashelia… something, something Dalmasca," Tifa laughed awkwardly. "Quite a posh name, I forget what Jessie said though."

Yaag cleared his throat. "Ah yes. In for conspiracy to murder, that one."

The name, along with the crime, sounded very familiar to Cloud, and he tried to recall the rest of the story. It was definitely to do with rival families that much he knew.

Much to Rosch's delight, as of last Friday he was the personal officer for the least amount of prisoners, since three inmates under his care had finally served their sentence or had been granted early release. It meant that this new girl was more than likely to be assigned to him.

But after Fang's outburst the other day about his colleague, he felt there more substance to the accusation than just another feud between Fang and Jihl.

* * *

There was a huge commotion on the wing; Fang was certain she could hear it above the noise of her shower, although it was possibly the sound of rushing water from a neighbouring shower. The mixture of the soothing hot water and an all-round pleasant morning had placed Fang in a brilliant mood.

She couldn't wait to see Miss Farron to thank her for the new cell, because it meant to could practice some old workouts without the fear of waking Vanille, or have her sitting in her bunk laughing. She even managed to fit in a few sit ups after unpacking, yet it was obvious she was out of practice, getting hot and bothered after fifteen minutes.

The conditioner couldn't wash out quick enough when she heard an obvious cheer in the distance – she hoped Jihl might finally be dead or disfigured. The towel she had thrown over the shower screen was thankfully still there when she turned, because sometimes it had a nasty habit of disappearing.

She quickly left the cubicle, grabbing the blue satin bathrobe from the top of her pile first, as if it was going to run away. The lack of other people in the shower room was unnerving, so she hurried, pulling on her underwear and some shorts whilst leaving her hair damp.

It was as if her mind was playing tricks on her, as the only sounds that echoed in the corridor were her flip-flops, but as she got close to the first security gate, a voice called out.

"Fang, good timing, I've been meaning to see you today."

Lightning Farron was walking towards her from the office block, and Fang was quite aware of how stupid she looked still wet.

The increase in chatter from the wing appeared again. "I wanted to catch you too, just to say thanks and all for the cell."

The governor nodded, using her own keys to let Fang pass further into the corridors. "Ah, but I have another surprise for you. We'll be getting some gym equipment in the old common room later in the week."

Was this a governor that _actually_ listened to feedback?

They entered through the next gate into the wing, and there almost concealed by the masses of overjoyed inmates were the pool tables. The ones she had recommended were moved to the wind to ease boredom.

"Have we still got a deal then?" Lightning asked, side glancing at Fang with a small smile.

"I'll be head girl, prefect, prison monitor, anything," Fang said in a complete daze. "Just tell me what you want."

As far as Fang was concerned, being wrapped round the pretty fingers of this governor wasn't a bad thing.

"Well, you can start by helping me to persuade Rikku and Yuffie to take up cleaning duties, because their boundless energy is sending Officer Steiner mad."

That she could understand because since Rikku joined, they were inseparable. "Yuffie was dismissed from cleaning duties once she polished the floor too much. Stein- Mr Steiner nearly broke his neck, so he threw her on report as well as firing her."

There was a peculiar look on Lightning's face, and it was only apparent that she was trying to hold down a chuckle once she disguised it as a small cough.

"I see, well, I don't see why she can't have it back."

"Sure, I'll tell her that."

Lightning continued on ahead with Fang in tow. The governor parted the crowd, positioning herself underneath the stairs, between the two pool tables. Within the crowd, Fang easily spotted her usual group, and padded over.

"Looks like we can get more practice in for the Sunday night pool competitions with these here," Yuffie squealed. "You're going down, sir!"

Officer Strife brushed the comment aside, puffing out his chest. "As if, Kisaragi."

"If I could just have your attention please," Miss Farron called out, and within seconds the volume dimmed. "Now the decision has been made to move the tables in here permanently, and you will all gain access to the televisions here at certain points in the day."

She paused to let the cheers die down, scanning the crowd for the usual troublemakers. "Any flaunting of the usual rules set aside for these privileges will result in either their removal, or your punishment. However this was Fang's idea not mine, so don't thank me."

Fang's face instantly flared up, unable to hide the embarrassment of having her name called. The governor smirked at her, her crystalline eyes half closed in smugness at her discomfort.

She was a mischievous one, that Farron. And suddenly Fang was conscious of the fact she was still dressed in her robe, with her dirty clothes forced close to her chest, acting as a comforting shield of sorts. However, Rikku of all people didn't sense the discomfort, hopping unexpectedly on her back.

"Fang, you absolute legend!"

Fang doubled forward; probably flashing more flesh than intended as Rikku half choked her.

She pulled her bundle of clothes closer to her body. "Cheers mate, but I'm not a bloody horse, so get off."

"Oh_, cunno!_" the younger girl apologised, finally dismounting.

She wasn't sure if anyone had seen anything, but before Lady Luck ran out on her, Fang dashed up the stairs to her cell, wishing that it wasn't as high as level three now. At least she'd had the sense to put her underwear on before leaving the shower, but next time she would definitely, _definitely_ fully dress before investigating any noises.

After sifting through her small pile of clothes, Fang pulled out a red plaid shirt and black shorts, unable to tell if it was particularly warm today or whether she was still embarrassed from earlier.

She scrubbed the towel against her head, pacing until she was happy it was dry enough, before tying into a ponytail.

The buzz on the ground floor was like the hum of an engine still, and as Fang galloped down the metal staircases, she was pleased to see that the governor was still around.

"Fang, come here a second," Vanille called after her, and Fang paused, looking between Vanille and her friends, and Miss Farron.

"Hang on a sec," she told her, leaving the group with puzzled faces.

Surely Vanille would understand, because Fang always put her first, so the occasional dismissal wouldn't do any harm.

She grabbed a nearby cue from an unsuspecting hand, ignoring the complaints from whoever she took it from.

"Miss Farron, fancy a game?" she enquired, practically thrusting herself into her viewpoint.

She didn't seem sure at first, but Officer Strife egged her on, as an avid pool fan himself. Fang offered the cue, not really expecting the woman to take it, but after much inner deliberating, she took it.

Strife patted his superior on the shoulder, impressed that she was game. "I'd be careful, ma'am," he warned. "This one likes to place wagers."

With the dangerous glance Miss Farron gave her, Fang thought she was going to be in deep trouble.

"I could always do with someone bringing me coffee to my office," she declared.

"Me too," Fang dared, setting up the game. "Except I was thinking as a nice wake up call in the morning."

She offered to break first, and the assorted coloured balls scattered across the table. Miss Farron followed the white, leaning over slowly as she gauged her first shot, and pocketed a ball right away into the middle pocket.

This one wasn't messing around.

Without really looking at the balls properly, Fang made a shot, potting one and then fluking it as another ball decided to pocket itself. Lady Luck was a wonderful woman.

As the game progressed, Fang's luck decreased slightly, and the governor was first to reach the final black ball.

"Double or nothing?" Fang said innocently, despite her shot missing.

Lightning then hit the white at an awkward position, and her cue shuddered, missing her target completely. "Best not."

Fang was over the moon to see she had missed, and chalked her cue for the final time, aiming for her last ball before the black. It was then she noticed the room was still entirely full of people, except they were all quiet and witnessing the banter between her and the governor.

She swallowed hard, suddenly uneasy about her ability to pot the next ball. But she needn't have worried, as it cruised across the table and into the top left pocket.

Now they were both on the black, with Fang yet to take her next go.

She didn't like to gloat, but when her last shot sent the black ricocheting from cushion to cushion before dropping into a pocket, her arms shot up into the air in victory.

"Tea or coffee will do, and lots of milk."

The governor leaned on the table in silent disbelief, shaking her head.

She was beautiful even in defeat.

* * *

The pool game didn't interest her in the slightest. Not when she could see him share a joke with the new girl, even from two floors up. She flicked the growing tail of ash from her cigarette, letting it fall to the ground floor without care. Beside her, Paine was also silently watching, flicking her cigarette butt out into thin air before drawing another from the carton.

This new girl was obnoxiously smiley around Yaag, pretending to giggle here and there. It was obvious she was lying, because Jihl wrote the book on fake flirting, and practiced it on Rosch himself when she first arrived.

"If he thinks he's getting cosy with her, and still expecting a shag from me he has another thing coming," Jihl spat.

Paine exhaled, sending puffs of smoke everywhere. "Just chuck him for good, it's bad enough he's a screw."

She would, but he was getting under her skin in more ways than one. That and he gave her nice things when she pleased him.

"Keep out of it, you don't understand."

The new girl laughed and this time she could hear it, and it was so sickly sweet her stomach turned. She wasn't about to sit and watch this. She stormed down the stairs, getting as far as the last set before she stopped half way.

"Sir, could I see you please?"

Yaag's smile faded. "Yes, Nabaat? What can I do you for?"

What pissed her of most was that he addressed her by her surname like he wanted to distance himself. She pointed the ceiling, wanting him to follow, and fortunately he took the hint, but not before he said goodbye to the new bitch.

Jihl had just made it to her cell before she exploded, and Rosch had just managed to release the latch on the door so that it didn't slam closed behind him.

"She's not been here five minutes and you're already sniffing around her," she hissed.

Yaag was not amused, instantly grabbing her by the face and drawing her forward, his silvery hair falling onto her cheeks.

"Now listen up, _you_ are the prisoner here not me, it is my job to see to prisoners, especially if I am their personal officer," his breath was hot, steaming up her glasses with every laboured exhale. "And guess what? I'm her personal officer too. So why don't you piss off to your little gothic friend, hmm?"

He shoved her away, and she collided with the wall. Fists clenched, she pushed herself from the cold bricks to strike at him, but he merely laughed, locking her in the cell.

_Just you wait, Rosch, your days are numbered._

* * *

Yuffie stared up at the ceiling, lying flat on her bunk. Below her she could hear the occasional turning of a page from Nora, and Rikku was unusually quiet.

"Did you see the new girl? Looks like you're not the fresh meat anymore, Rikku, you as well Nora."

Her counterpart had been glum ever since she and Paine had a little 'chat', but she had a feeling that the hypers she had smuggled in had something to do with it also, because Rikku hadn't offered her one in ages.

"Did you run out of the stuff, or did Paine take it all?" Yuffie wondered out loud. "Because it's not the end of the world, we can still have a good time."

Rikku huffed.

"Random mood swings are common after you stop taking hypers so quickly," Nora said as though she was reading from a page in her book. "A person who has taken them over a longer period needs weaning off them, like when you try to introduce a baby to whole foods."

That, Yuffie could understand. "Oh, so you're kinda withdrawing?"

"Knock, knock."

Yuffie shifted to look at the door, pleased to see that it was Vanille accompanied by Fang at long last. "Oh hey, come on in, and shut the door."

Of course Vanille couldn't shut it all the way, leaving the smallest gap, but it would do.

"You played really well back there Fang," Nora said, placing her book on a bedside table.

The tanned woman shifted on the spot, looking unusually uncomfortable at the compliment. "Thanks, Nora."

"Yeah, despite ignoring me to go challenge the governor," Vanille poked her tongue out as she punched Fang playfully on the arm.

"Yeah but she embarrassed me first saying that the pool tables were moved thanks to me! I couldn't let it stand."

The group weren't really bothered that she'd placed them second to thrashing the governor at pool, and Yuffie even used it as an opportunity to gain some tips on how to play better.

Rikku hopped on her bunk, pulling the redhead up with her, leaving the taller woman standing alone in the middle like she was being judged.

"Right the reason we've dragged you here is because we have some brilliant news," Vanille started.

"With our combined geniuses, Nora, Vanille, Rikku, and I are creating the most potent alcoholic mix _ever _in your precious shed."

"At the earliest, it'll be ready in a week, now that Vanille has procured the yeast."

"And then the four of us can get drunk, woohoo!"

Fang's head darted back and forth to each speaker, her eyebrows meeting in disbelief. "You've managed to do what_? In my bloody shed?_"

The room quietened down, the others were just as surprised as Yuffie was to see Fang's reaction.

Fang turned to Nora. "You of all people are in on this?" Nora nodded dumbly. "Wow, then this must be a solid plan you guys have come up with, well done."

The thief breathed a sigh of relief and Fang cracked a smile, and she cursed the woman for having them on.

"But what made you decide to make bloody jungle juice in here?"

The bunk bed rocked and Nora shuffled out of it. "You did. This is our way of saying thanks, and I know I've thanked you so many times for that phone card that you could have used for your girlfriend," Fang flinched. "But this way I can express my gratitude."

"Y-Yeah, and I'm thankful for you stepping in on that first day with Nabaat, because she hasn't bothered me since."

Fang pulled the closest one in for a hug, which happened to be Nora. "Aw, you guys."

She then proceeded to hug everyone until Vanille became a bit emotional and hugged everyone for the sake of it anyway.

It was a good twenty minutes before the group had explained how they had gone about creating the cocktail, such as how they obtained the likes of yeast, and how Nora thought of using the shed and soil to maintain its temperature.

"All we need now is a couple of snacks and we'll be sorted for the night," Fang chuckled.

Yuffie and Rikku exchanged mischievous glances, and it was then the thief knew that she and the blonde were separated at birth, or soul mates, or two parts of one whole.

They even spoke in unison. "Leave that to us."

The group's short moment of uninterrupted banter ended when Paine waltzed in, and everyone immediately shushed. Sometimes Yuffie forgot she even shared this cell, because everyone else was just so _decent_.

"Oh sorry, did I disturb the little party?"

Paine looked towards Fang first and foremost, unblinking, before shifting to Rikku. Aware everyone was watching, Paine slowly withdrew a packet of cigarettes from her pocket, throwing them underarm to Rikku, who caught them with a rather dumb expression on her face.

Why was Paine offering her stuff to Rikku of all people?

She watched as Rikku inspected its contents, looking shocked. "_Dryhg oui._"

Paine squared her shoulders, her face rather red. "_Tuh'd sahdeuh ed."_

It was only when she left did the answer become clear, and Rikku threw the entire contents of the carton on her bed. "It's all there," she uttered in amazement, counting. "Yep, every last pill."

It was official; the girl had lost her mind and was repenting, or something - but at least they had their stash back. Yuffie had even rubbed her eyes watching the exchange. She wasn't sure what Fang or Vanille were thinking, as they certainly didn't know about the supply her blonde counterpart had smuggled in. If they had a problem, they didn't let on, which meant she could relax a bit.

The entire wing was called to the cafeteria shortly after, and as usual Yuffie and Rikku hooked arms and went together. Now that the circle of friendship had grown larger by two, it meant one person was left out, as each table held only four people. As selfless as ever, Nora opted to be the loner, but Vanille kindly stepped in and offered to sit with her.

Today Yuffie had opted for pie lathered in gravy, but it could have been sludge for all she cared, because Officer Strife had just walked in. She liked the pensive types, as she always tried to second guess what they were thinking, and enjoyed the notion that she could break them out of that shell.

She looked at her plate, realising she'd mushed everything into a soft pile more suitable to eat with a spoon. The muffled laughter to her right told her that her friends had noticed, and Fang patted her on the back.

"Maybe one day," Fang winked, always so confident. "When he realises there is this other species called a female."

Just as she was about to laugh, the fluttering in her chest stopped her short and Cloud's gaze passed over them.

Rikku fiddled with the edge of her goggles, which dangled closely round her neck. "Do you think Nabaat and Paine have fallen out?"

It was a strange thought to have, because Paine was still sitting with Jihl over in their favourite table in the corner. Obviously Rikku was still confused as to why Paine had even returned her hypers to her, but then it wasn't a stupid thought. Yet Paine didn't do anything unexpected unless Jihl commanded it, so it didn't make sense.

Officer Elena greeted them as she paced through the tables, discouraging any anti-social behaviour with her presence alone. Yuffie's wandering eyes stopped at the newest inmate, who hadn't introduced herself to anyone and sat alone with a simple plate of vegetables. Rosch was standing over her, his hands clasped behind his back, chatting away, continually licking his lips between talking. His regular bit on the side looked furious, Yuffie noted, which pleased her significantly.

She consciously traced a finger down the length of her healing nose. "If that newbie gets too close to Rosch, Jihl will go mental."

Fang looked behind her, eyes narrowing and brows furrowing. "She already looks pissed off now."

Yuffie agreed, and Rikku said something which sounded like an agreement in her native tongue.

"Aw shit, yeah," the blonde was getting excited. "Let's hope the most decent one of the two kills the other first."

At that they raised their plastic mugs, which would have chinked had they been made from glass or ceramics.

Just as Yuffie was about to take a mouthful of the mush on her plate, Officers Steiner and Rosch suddenly sprinted through the cafeteria, alerting most of the people in it. They bounced up the stairs, past level two, and up to the highest tier of cells. Fang shot up, her chair screeching back, and both she and Yuffie were craning their necks to see which cell they were running to.

"If I get fucking searched again, there will be hell to pay."

But they bypassed Fang's cell, and barged into Nabaat's instead, who up until now was more interested in her food. Paine nudged her and pointed, and the clatter of her plate resonated through the corner of the food hall.

"Jihl, you better come with me love," Officer Elena said, her expression straight and serious.

"What the fuck is going on?" Nabaat demanded, brandishing the plastic knife at Elena.

Her hand was easily knocked away, and in a flurry of movement, the officer had Jihl bent over the table and handcuffed, ignoring the fact she'd thrown Jihl into her food.

"I wanna know what's happening!" Vanille squealed excitedly. "Someone go ask Mr Strife."

Almost instantly the group agreed, turning to Fang with smug looks.

"Please Fang, you do it."

"Good girl, Fang."

"Go on, Fang."

"Why me?" the elected woman groaned, but she made her way over, pushing past the moving crowds. The officers had closed the iron bars to the wing, and everyone was squashing themselves as close as they good against them to watch.

When Fang finally returned, it was with the broadest of smiles. "Another written tipoff was left in the staffroom, similar to the one that mentioned us being in possession of drugs."

The redhead 'oohed' and the two thieves punched the air in victory. She prayed it meant the bitch was going down, since it would make the days running up to the completion of the alcohol brewing even sweeter. As if her prayers had been answered, Officer Elena was busy escorting Jihl away with the help of her brother, as the woman refused to leave quietly.

"They've got it wrong, they've got it wrong!"

Jihl screamed it over and over like a mantra until her voice faded out somewhere along the winding corridors of Edenfell.

Although Yuffie's meal was now cold, it still tasted brilliant, and she forked what was left of it down her throat.

* * *

With Jihl confined to the solitary block in the early week, the entire wing had been in high spirits. Fang had been able to persuade the two thieves to take up the duty of cleaners, which pleased the governor, despite how menial the task seemed to Fang.

She rolled over in her bed, unsure what time it was now that she had curtains to block out the light.

But even she knew it wasn't wake up time as her door unlocked, and quiet footsteps entered, followed by the heavy scent of caffeine. Fang rolled towards the noise, at first fearing that it was Officer Rosch, but her guess couldn't have been more wrong.

"Miss Farron?" Fang's eyes protested against being open, but through her lashes she could still recognise the well-dressed governor, even while drowsy.

She offered the ceramic mug to Fang, who sat up in order to take it. "Er, good morning?"

The governor stood there hand on hip, looking down at her. "You did say tea _or_ coffee, right? So why are you looking at me like that?"

Oh, so she was here from the pool wager days ago. It had only been playful teasing when she asked for a morning delivery of any hot drink, and Fang thought that Miss Farron had simply brushed off the stake, but here she was.

"Sorry, I didn't think you would actually go through with this," she took a sip, almost burning her tongue. Evidently she was wrong about this one. "So how long is Nabaat down in solitary for?"

Miss Farron was flicking through her possessions on her bedside table, though unobtrusively. "Oh, long enough. Until she stops screaming and insisting she was set up. She's been tested and had traces of drugs in her system long before I came, so why should now be any different?"

"And did you find out who tipped them off?" Fang would kill to know who had told the screws that her shared cell hid drugs, though the notion that somebody was just guessing did cross her mind. The governor shook her head in response to her question.

She took another sip, gasping at the delightful flavour – the officers were granted much better coffee than the prisoners by far.

"Some gym equipment arrived today, donated by a local business in favour for some good P.R. in the newspapers."

"A fair trade."

"I'll have to implement membership fees for upkeep and keeping track of who is using it, though."

Fang nodded, taking a sip. This she could deal with as she didn't spend a lot of her prison earnings anyway, especially not on phone cards now she and Lebreau were over with.

She finished draining the rest of the coffee, placing the empty cup aside, but the governor immediately took it as to not forget it as the use of non-plastic mugs for prisoners was strictly prohibited.

"I will announce it before breakfast, since the equipment should be set up by then."

"Then I'll see you later."

Lightning Farron left, leaving Fang to indulge in more sleep, would that she could. The caffeine had already kicked in, leaving the woman to toss and turn and daydream instead.

Luckily she wasn't left restless for long. It was Officer Rosch who opened her cell, for once without a snarky comment, but he did command her, and everyone else on tier three to walk orderly to the ground level of the wing. A lot of the convicts were confused at the interruption of their usual free time, and Fang heard one suggest that were all walking to an execution chamber, which sparked some arguments.

They assembled along the walls of the old common room, which had been painted off-white since they had last been in, and still reeked of the fumes.

The common room had been a fair size to begin with, but it looked even bigger without the pool tables. Now there were rowing machines lined up against the furthest wall, yoga mats, punching bags, and exercise bikes. It couldn't have been cheap for whoever supplied it, and it looked to be the tall, unfamiliar man standing by Miss Farron who was responsible.

He was dressed in a business suit, with the jacket thrown over the handles of one of the new bikes, but he still wore the waistcoat. His sleeves were rolled high up his arms, suggesting he'd given a hand in setting things up on top of his monetary generosity.

Miss Farron introduced the man as a Mr Cid Raines, and Fang was eager to thank him despite speaking for almost ten minutes straight about his company. He was a hulking, great man even taller than Rosch was, and he was the tallest officer they had.

The man finally finished, allowing everyone time to try out the new equipment. Rikku and Yuffie ran straight over to the punch bags, giving a few jabs whilst pretending it was Jihl.

Fang wandered over to Cid, waiting for him to finish his conversation with the governor.

"Hey," she said at last. "Just wanted to thank you for your generosity. I can't wait to use this place, I'll be the first one in and last one out."

Cid offered her his hand, and Fang complied. "It's nothing, you're very welcome. Anything to keep Lightning here happy. I've heard lots about this place."

The governor was still present at the man's side, and she looked pleased to see some prisoner gratitude. "Cid this is Fang Yun. One of the inmates I was telling you about."

So Miss Farron had been talking about her? Only good things she hoped. Fang smiled at both of them.

"The infamous Fang," Cid studied her more closely now he knew her name. "I have heard a lot about you."

This was getting better. "Oh, so you two know each other then?"

The large man smirked, grabbing Miss Farron by the shoulders to pull her close. "Could say that."

Miss Farron blushed. "He's my partner,' she explained, squirming out of his grip before anyone could see.

_Well, shit._

A sharp pain stabbed at her chest and her polite smile faltered. The uncomfortable sensation rose to her throat next, and no amount of swallowing would help it go away. "I- I see."

Cid was still smiling, but Lightning wasn't, and she was staring at Fang as if to suss what was wrong.

"Well actually, I'm her fiancé as of today. I proposed this morning and she accepted."

Her emerald eyes went instantly to Lightning's left hand, where a demure silver engagement ring rested on her ring finger. Sensing the stare, the governor folded her arms, blocking Fang's view of the ring.

Was it punishable to be sick on the governor and her partner? Fang swallowed the pain in her throat again. "Congrats, please excuse me."

She had to leave immediately, and she knocked shoulders with Lightning as she left, cursing at the contact.

She walked briskly back to the wing, alternating between that and jogging when no one was around. When she came to a crossroad in the corridors, she changed her mind in going back to her cell, making for the yard. There was one officer guarding the door, but when he quizzed her he saw no problem in Fang's request to pluck tomatoes for the cooks in time for the lunch.

An overwhelming surge of anger and misery flowed through her, mixed with foolishness and a dash of hopelessness. It had been naïve of her to forget that Lightning had a life outside of these prison walls, to assume she wouldn't have a boyfriend and secretly held an interest. Fang made it to the shed, not bothering to don her overalls, and continued yesterday's work of placing geranium saplings into their own separate flower pots.

The job was done in a matter of minutes, albeit rather forcefully and with a few cracked plant pots, so she grabbed the nearest packet of seeds and started again.

Light poured onto her face as the shed door opened, and a rather irate looking Miss Farron appeared, slamming the door behind her. "You should be at breakfast, why are you here?" she demanded.

So that was why she felt weak and empty - she hadn't eaten. "You should be kissing your fiancé goodbye, why are _you_ here?" Fang continued to prod holes in the soil for the seeds.

"What's gotten into you? You wanted a gym, you got one."

Fang scoffed. "Well thank you very much. But if it pleases you, I'd rather skip breakfast today."

Miss Farron pulled her away from the plant pots and seeds, her azure eyes boring into her, but Fang refused to look at her straight on. "But why are you suddenly acting like this?"

Fang looked down at her feet. To her it was obvious, but the governor was really making her spell it out.

"Fang, I mean it."

Fang swallowed. "Because of _you, _okay? Happy?_"_

Fang turned away, leaning on the table at the back of the shed.

They were both getting angry now. "I've been nothing but compliant towards you Fang, and you go and spoil everything with your attitude. I've done nothing to make you act so childish."

She heard the floorboards creak as the governor stepped forward. She didn't understand. She simply couldn't have understood what Fang had just said if that was her reaction.

"Fang."

Fang spun, grabbing the other woman by her forearm and throwing her into the table she'd been leaning on. She'd stunned the governor long enough to place her hands lightly on her hips, hooking her thumbs through the belt loops of her pressed trousers.

Her voice deepened, and her expression darkened. "Is this clear enough for you, _Lightning_?"

She pulled Lightning forwards and kissed her hard.

The governor's hands met her chest with a hard thrust, forcing her back, her eyes were wide with panic. Her usually fair complexion was tainted with a rosy shade spread across her cheeks, which meant she certainly understood now.

"_Fang!_" Every time Lightning said her name, Fang was met by shivers. But this time the governor was irate.

There was no doubt in her mind that Lightning would've hit her had she been anywhere but her workplace. Without hesitation she escaped the small wooden hut, the light blinding her as she exited. Her heart raced, the adrenaline coursing through her veins like she'd been involved in a fight. The feeling wouldn;t last, she realised, already feeling the heavy weight of dread at what she'd just done.

Breakfast could go fuck itself, she was no longer hungry.

* * *

Still in the shed, Lightning panted heavily, watching the wooden door swing closed.

She touched her lips, still feeling Fang on them.

_Fuck._

* * *

**A/N: I've just done that thing where you read through your own work and instantly hate it. To me the scenes are too jumpy, so I must apologise. Also, I can never seem to think of an interesting way to describe something at times - I must trawl through a dictionary and thesaurus one day.**

**There'll be no chapter 4 next week as I'm away, but I'll get a chapter up as soon as I can once I'm back from my holidays. **

**As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated, and of course, enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Behind Lock and Key**

**Chapter 4: Breaking Point**

* * *

Lightning tapped the pen continuously between her teeth; the words in front of her made no sense despite rereading the paragraph many times. What was written on the report wasn't illegible, but it might as well have been, because her mind just wouldn't focus.

_Fang._

She just hadn't planned or suspected in the slightest that an inmate of all people would see her as a romantic interest. Maybe there had been clues, but what mattered was Fang was on the rebound, nothing more. As governor, Lightning would still need to make things clear with Fang, yet neither she nor Fang had mustered up any courage to speak with each other since that day. It had been a whole week and a half since Fang had kissed her, and Cid was only just beginning to notice something was wrong when she came home quiet.

Of course he'd think that it was about their engagement, because unlike when her sister announced her engagement, she wasn't jumping for joy and calling friends and family right away. In fact, she'd left it up to Cid to tell everyone.

She twisted the silver band around her finger, and picked up the phone as it rang.

"Yes, this is Miss Farron."

The voice at the other end was grave, but she had learned long ago that when she answered her calls, they rarely brought good news. It was going to be another eventful day.

"I will inform Mrs Estheim immediately, thank you."

The walk down to the wing was a long one; through two unmanned gates and many winding corridors. Officer Steiner saluted her on the way by, and she nodded in greeting at the nurses who worked on the wing. As she walked, she tried to radio through to one of the porters, but no one was answering.

_'Sorry ma'am, what can I do you for?' _The person on the other end sounded like they were eating. She grimaced, pleased that it was impossible for the porter to see her.

"I will be escorting a prisoner to Dali Hospital as soon as possible, so I require an unmarked car and a driver."

She headed for the four-person shared cell first, but stopped when she spotted Nora just at one of the pool tables with a cue in her hand. Fang was next to her, looking like she was giving instructions when she leaned over and mimicked the action of taking a shot. Nora nodded, took a shot, and giggled happily when she correctly performed a trick shot.

_A fleeting happiness_, she thought.

"Hello Miss Farron," Nora welcomed as she approached the middle aged woman.

It didn't escape her notice that Fang's own attempt at a trick shot sent the white ball bouncing off the table, rolling into an open cell.

_Concentrate_.

It required all her focus to pull her eyes away as Fang awkwardly scarpered away from Lightning. "I need to speak with you urgently, Nora."

The older woman's smile dropped as she read into Lightning's tone and expression. "Is it about my visit?"

She ignored the question, and instead Lightning led her away, thrusting the cue to Elena who juggled with keeping it upright. Ideally, she would have liked to tell the news in her office, but they were pushed for time.

She fought to open the barred door quick enough. "Your son is in intensive care, Nora. The hospital has just informed us that he… he attempted suicide earlier this morning."

"Hope_? My_ son attempted suicide?"

Nora fell into her arms like someone had just cut away the strings holding her upright, but Lightning had no time for sympathetic words or reassuring hugs. Almost dragging the woman to reception, she was relieved to see that Biggs was already waiting at the desk, waving the car keys in his hand.

"You managed to clear the visit with Amodar already?" he asked, eyeing the bawling woman at her side.

Lightning shook her head. "No, I'll beg him for forgiveness later for clearing this without his permission."

For impromptu or short notice outside visits it was necessary for each wing governor to seek authorization from their superior. In truth, Lightning had overlooked the matter in favour of fast acting. Surely he would understand the urgency. Despite trying to assure him, Biggs did not seem convinced that he should be disobeying and he scratched at his head with the key.

"If it worries you, you can go back to your gate job and I'll ask someone else."

When not porting, Biggs was on gate duty, which was notoriously boring. Usually anyone on gate duty would jump to the chance of doing something different.

"No, no," he began to sweat. "Off we go then."

Understandably Nora was still wailing, her entire face shining from her tears, and it was with regret that Lightning pulled out handcuffs, placing one cuff around Nora's wrist, and the other around her own. The woman whimpered, pulling at the cuff like a confused, chained animal. Just because this was a special case, it didn't mean she was allowed to stop treating Nora like the criminal she was.

* * *

The edge of the mop flew at her, and she blocked the swing with the broom handle, giggling the entire time. Her raven-haired friend tried a second jab this time at her knees, but Rikku was too quick. They were meant to be cleaning the kitchen, but Rikku and Yuffie always found better ways to spend their working time.

"I never realised I would miss this job… it is _way_ better having you here now though," Yuffie had said on their second day on the job.

At first the Al Bhed didn't seem sure on taking up the offer, but both Yuffie and Fang persuaded her rather easily. Once again Rikku felt indebted to Fang, who seemed to know that the positions were available before anyone else could jump for the chance. Not only did the job add to their spending money at the end of the week, but also helped to quell the boredom of prison life.

It was just as well, because the amount of hypers Rikku has left in her goggles were dwindling to about ten, and she was banning herself from touching them until the big cell party, where she hoped she would be even a little tipsy.

"Let's see you dodge this!"

Rikku charged at Yuffie with the large brush, but skidded on the wet floor. Her feet flew skywards, and she landed flat on her back, knocking the air from her lungs. Wasn't this why Yuffie had been fired from cleaning in the first place?

Her best friend was in hysterics, leaning heavily on the mop to keep her upright. Rikku felt hot with embarrassment. "Yeah laugh it up, bitch."

Good friends helped you up - best friends watched you slip and slide trying to stand again as Rikku grabbed the sink for added security, rubbing her back.

"Wanna check on Nora's brew after this?" Yuffie said, finally able to breathe. "We can empty all these damn bins and have a look on the way there."

"Ooh yeah! And maybe try it to see if it's ready, y'know?"

No one had sampled the concoction yet, and Vanille had suspicions it would go one of two ways; they'd be sick from it going wrong, or they'd be evidently so hammered that they'd be sick from doing it right.

The girls eagerly rounded up all the waste bags and dragged them outside, retching from the sour smell several times on their journey.

They threw the bags in with the rest of the pile as if they were shooting hoops, cheering when they landed on their mark. Luckily, there wasn't anyone else in the yard, so they hurried to Fang's shed, their steps light and quiet.

"I'll have a peek, and you keep look out," Yuffie said, already enthusiastically in the shed.

So Rikku did as she was told, leaning casually beside the partially opened door and staring out into the expanse of the prison gardens.

It was a good job that they were alone, as the groaning of the floorboards was enough to wake the dead, and the Al Bhed was sure there were a few bodies around the jail somewhere, after hearing some of the creepy tales about the place.

The blonde spared a glance into the shed. She couldn't see much past Yuffie's arse, but the strong fumes told her the stuff was fermenting as expected.

Her counterpart leaned further into the hole, cursing when she almost fell into it head first.

"Nora dug this pretty deep," Yuffie said, her voice muffled by the soil.

It hadn't been fermenting for long, but already she was sick of waiting. "Do you think it'sdrinkable?"

Without any sort of regard, Yuffie dipped a finger into the watering can. The darkness of the shed made it difficult to see what colour the liquid had turned out to be, but Yuffie sucked at her finger anyway.

Yuffie's expression was that of a puzzled one, thinking carefully of the taste. She licked her lips, and tried another taste.

"Well?" Rikku urged.

"It's… alright actually," she burst into a spluttering cough. "Bit strong, if that."

Then it was settled, they would drink it this evening. But first things first, they'd have to hurry back to their duties.

* * *

It irked Fang more than it should have that Yaag was targeting another woman, and she realised quite quickly that it could have easily been him harassing Lebreau that fateful night she killed the officer. Although pleased officers like Mr Strife weren't preying on inmates, it frightened her how men like Rosch thought they could get away with it.

She couldn't read Ashe very well, partially because she didn't know her, but one minute she was all bashful smiles and giggles, the next quietly confident, preferring her own company.

She wasn't sure if her attitude around Officer Rosch was a ruse, or if she only had genuine interest in the pig of a man. But either way, she was going to warn her. Fang finished her game of pool, watching Ashe wander up to the second floor and into the cell Fang used to share with Vanille.

When she finally caught up, she was pleased to see Vanille was also present in the room, making everything a little less awkward as she barged in after the sandy haired woman.

"Sorry if I'm disturbing, just wanted to say hi. It's Ashe isn't it?"

Ashe went rigid, twitching her head towards Fang in jerky movements. "Look, I've been told you're into women, but I'm not, so no thank you."

Fang paused mainly out of shock, allowing Vanille to cease her hysterical laughter and put down her book. "Fang was my cellmate, she's just being friendly."

Ashe didn't look convinced, peeling back the bed covers and crawling between the sheets.

Fang tried again. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your little nap time, but I just want to warn you about Rosch. I'm not sure if you're aware of how much of a lustful pig he actually is."

"Oh I am well aware of the type of man he is. Your little friend here has also told me things about him. Let me assure you that I can look after myself."

Her high-class accent was unlike anything Fang had ever heard in a prisoner before, and she was even better spoken than Nora, although her words had an underlying harshness to them.

Whatever background Ashe had, it didn't stop Fang from looking at her with contempt. "I'm sure you can, sweetheart. But it's just worth knowing that there are a lot of people who dream of ridding Edenfell of that silver haired bastard, and anyone they deem one of his little pets."

The woman's eyes narrowed and she smiled deviously, raising her chin in interest. "That could certainly be arranged, I mean, if it keeps his filthy little hands off me, why not cut them off?"

Although Ashe couldn't see Vanille, Fang could, and she saw the girl swivel her finger by her temple in the sign of craziness.

Fang chortled. "Why stop at his hand? It's his dick that needs lopping off."

Ashe nodded, still sitting under the covers of her bed. "Good idea."

Just as Ashe turned her back on Fang, the taller woman laughed again just to keep the atmosphere light. But the dubious, bug-eyed look on Vanille's face was the exact expression Fang was trying to avoid in front of the new woman. Her closest friend didn't have to say a thing; she already knew what she was thinking.

_"Fucking mental," _Fang mimed, walking away.

She was a little disappointed when Vanille didn't opt to follow her, and since the governor dragged Nora away she hadn't seen either since. Even the terrible twosome weren't around, because she couldn't hear any of their constant giggling.

_So this is what it's like to be as friendless as Jihl._

As much as she didn't want to go, Fang made her way to the new gymnasium, which now had a large plaque attached to the corridor outside to commemorate.

_Cid Raines_.

The man probably couldn't even comprehend how much Fang disliked him just by existing. But at least he installed a punch bag which could quite easily be his face. She threw a series of punches; each hit a different part of his body.

_Fuck his tall, dark, and handsome features_. She gave the punching bag a powerful right hook, imagining it to be his face. _Fuck his apparent wealth_. She kneed what should have been his crotch. _Fuck Lebreau for making Lightning become an option._ Before she could take one last swing, her energy dwindled, and she found herself clinging onto the punching bag to keep upright.

Sweat trickled down her back, and a slow clap alerted her to a spectator. Officer Strife looked no stranger to a punching bag either, but he still looked impressed.

"Is there anything you can't do?" he asked.

"Maintain good relationships," Fang panted, taking a step back.

Cloud took a few digs of the bag as well, the force of his punches sending the bag swinging a lot more vigorously.

"Well that's no good, that's why I came."

"Huh?"

He brushed her confusion off, maintaining his focus on the rest of the gym instead. She watched as he wandered over towards a stack of towels, pulling two from the pile as he said hello to prisoners he recognised.

He threw a towel to Fang, who sat with her legs crossed. "You're making some great changes around here, working with the governor like you are."

She forced the towel into her face, pretending to wipe away the perspiration that had long since cooled; of all the things to bring up, why her?

For once the oblivious blonde seemed to know something was up, because he crouched down and patted Fang on the back, like she was a child who'd just fallen over.

"You know, I thought as much," his smile was like a small flower blooming; slow, but striking when it eventually blossomed. "How'd you piss her off? And how are not in solitary right now?"

"Ha! You know me, too outspoken."

He nodded, his spiky hair nodding with him. "I've pissed someone off too."

Fang raised her eyebrows, surprised to even hear such words from Mr Strife. Instead of offering any golden advice, she patted him on the back also. If she couldn't help herself, how could she help anyone else?

He took his leave eventually, as did a lot of the inmates who had been using the other, more diverse equipment, leaving Fang with a wondrous amount of choice.

She would use every last bit of equipment until she was on the brink of exhaustion she decided, as maybe then she'd be able to sleep at night.

* * *

The further they walked down the hospital's corridor, the more Lightning felt that this was the place people described as being 'the light at the end of the tunnel', with its pale whitewashed walls and blinding lights overhead. This entire ward felt like purgatory. There was something sickly just in the way everything had a base colour of white, or light blues, or greys.

Nora was bundled in the coat she left at reception the day she first came to Edenfell, which was aptly also grey. Her sobbing had stopped, but only because she had worn herself out on the journey. They followed the nurse across the ward, into a private room masked in silence apart from the occasional blip of the machines rigged up to Nora's son.

Forgetting she was still restrained to Lightning, Nora tried to rush to his side, only to be pulled back. With a heavy sigh, Lightning released the cuff, closing the door to the ward to guard it.

Although he was unconscious, she stroked his head, kissed him, and wept on his chest. "Hope. Hope my darling, mummy's here."

As discreetly as she could, Lightning tried to peek at her son, and was surprised at how much his shock of white hair matched his complexion. Of course she had never seen him before, but even she was sure the boy wasn't usually that pale.

The nurse then entered, and Nora urgently looked up, gripping her son's hand still. "Why is he here? What has he done to himself?"

The nurse plucked the file from the foot of the bed and scanned it. "Your son has suffered sodium hypochlorite poisoning – the result of digesting bleach."

There was an indefinite family resemblance when Nora paled the same colour as her son's snowy hair. "He's done _what? _Will he be okay?"

She turned his wrists over to stroke the softer flesh, revealing untouched, creamy skin – Lightning had made the assumptions that Nora's son had cut his wrists when she heard the news. Drinking bleach was more problematic.

"He's suffered internal burning, and much bleeding."

"But will he be okay?" Nora repeated. This time more serious.

The nurse cleared her throat. "He's under the best care, Mrs Estheim."

Hope began to cough violently, and Nora smiled as he awoke.

"Hope, I'm here," she said, stroking his head again.

But the coughing did not stop, and blood erupted from his mouth like a burst pipe. The nurse instantly ran to the panic button, and Lightning ran to Nora, pulling the hesitant woman away.

Blood was spattered down the right side of the mother's face, dripping like water down a glass pane. Her usually warm eyes were haunted, and they wouldn't focus on anything in particular except her son.

"I'm sorry, but I suggest you both leave," the nurse said as others rushed in.

"No! No! I won't!"

Grabbing her proved the easy part, but tearing her away from her suffering son was the real challenge. Now she wished she'd asked Biggs to wait outside, but he'd wandered off for coffees instead.

Lightning managed to get Nora out just as things were getting too much – they placed a tube down her son's throat and readied a plethora of needles and machines.

"I want to be with him!"

The reserved woman was gone, and in her place was a frenzied mess. Keeping her arms hooked around Nora's shoulders, Lightning called out to Biggs, who had just waltzed through the swinging doors with three coffees.

"A little help here," she ground out, her teeth gritted.

The man spun frantically on the spot, unsure where to put the hot drinks, he placed them on a small ledge that jutted from one of the windows and raced to help.

What seemed like an eternity passed, and Nora was reduced to a quivering mess. It was Lightning's turn to sit at stroke Mrs Estheim's head in an attempt to comfort her, as Biggs supped his third hospital coffee.

At long last the shouting of orders had stopped, and the doctors and nurses all flooded out.

Nora jerked to awareness. "Doctor?"

"I'm sorry Mrs Estheim, there was nothing we could do."

* * *

Yuffie poked her head into the room, holding her breath as she silently stalked into Vanille's cell. The redhead had fallen asleep with a book on her chest, and by the looks of it, her new cellmate was also asleep in the bottom bunk. Her cleaning duties weren't over, so she'd reacquired her mop on the way back from the shed.

Using the mop as an extension, she prodded the girl in the arm from half way across the room. "Oi, 'Nille wake up."

Upon pulling the mop back, she hit Vanille in the face, and she awoke with a gasp.

"Oh hey," she yawned.

Careful not to wake the new inmate Yuffie tiptoed over, leaning into the girl's ear. "Don't forget to fetch your cup later tonight, missy. It is on!"

Vanille immediately understood and the girls quietly high-fived. There were only a few problems to address now, and one of them included where to host it.

The woman below muttered in her sleep, and Yuffie dropped to a crouch, studying the new prisoner, who was still fast asleep.

With a very nice bracelet.

The thief flexed her fingers, holding her breath as she tried to get the right angle for the clasp. The redhead had shifted to see what she was doing, and clawed at her hair to stop.

Yuffie retreated, realising Vanille would get the blame if it went missing as she slept.

"We'll do it in our cell," Yuffie whispered, finally deciding.

They had more of a chance of getting away with it, especially if Paine was aware there was a large gathering in her cell, because she usually avoided them completely when that happened.

"But how are we getting it to the cell in the first place? We can't walk through the wing with a large watering can."

She tapped at her chin, a number of different, preposterous ways flashing through her mind. But only one way seemed effective.

"We hoist it up to our cell window from the outside." She punched her palm at such a good idea. There would be next to no one out in the yard to see, so if they could just get Fang to come back late from her garden duties, everything would work out.

Since Nora was nowhere to be seen since this morning, Yuffie set her sights on finding Fang, who was becoming increasingly more difficult to catch a hold of.

After sneaking up to level three, which was strictly only for the residents of that floor, and finding no one, Yuffie asked almost everyone if they had seen her. They all had the same negative answer, and the thief was ready to give up until her dreamboat of an officer strolled in.

She almost called him by his first name, remembering that she only ever did that in her daydreams. "Hey Mr Strife! Have you seen Fang anywhere? I'm starting to think she's hopped over the walls and legged it to distant lands."

The officer shoved his hands into his pockets, nudging his head towards the corridor he'd just appeared from. "Or she could be at the gym, where I've just seen her. She'll still be there."

She couldn't resist clutching onto his muscular arm like a koala and hugging him that way, because she hadn't done it so long.

"Cheers, sir!"

Sure enough, Fang was where he'd said she'd be. As one of the only people left in the room, Yuffie thought Fang would notice her presence, but instead she continued her sit-ups on the mats as if it were the only thing she was programmed to do.

"Twenty-five, forty- six, one hundred – oops you've lost count, better stop."

The older woman clicked her tongue. "Hello to you too."

Yuffie joined her on the mats, and Fang grasped her feet to weight Yuffie down as she attempted some sit-ups of her own. She managed ten before her muscles protested she stop, and she collapsed.

"No pain, no gain. Do ten more," Fang ordered, but Yuffie waved her off.

"I'm not here for a hot body, I'm here to tell you that tonight's the night. Bring your cup and meet everyone at my cell."

Fang sat back, relishing the break with a large pant. "Sure."

"And we'll need you to retrieve it, since you work outside and I can't find Nora." Fang was about to protest, but Yuffie cut her off. "Now I know what you're thinking, 'Yuffie, I can't simply waltz through the wing with a fucking watering can full of alcohol.' But you see, this is the genius part – we throw a makeshift rope out of our cell and you tie the watering can to it. We pour the drinks, and you carefully put the watering can back. Voila!"

At first she thought Fang's silence meant her idea was stupid, which worried her because whether the woman knew it or not, she was her idol. But instead of berating her, she reached out and ruffled Yuffie's hair. She hadn't done that in ages.

"That's pure genius, sure I can do that."

"Not as genius as that time you and Vanille managed to lock Officer Steiner in your cell while you nabbed some biscuits from the kitchens!"

Officer Steiner had been too mortified to call for help in the middle of the night, so he'd waited patiently for Fang and Vanille to return. It was a wonder that the other night staff hadn't caught them. She'd have to tell Rikku that one tonight and give it a go.

"Are you gonna drop and give me ten more?" Fang asked, gesturing for Yuffie to take up her position on the mats again. "Cloud tells me he likes girls with fit bodies."

Yuffie's eyes flashed bright. "Really? Oh go on then!"

And she managed fifty more sit-ups in total.

* * *

Lightning walked alongside Mrs Estheim into reception, finally removing the handcuffs from them both. The sharp bite of the cuffs was always a good reminder of why it was best to stay on the right side of the law. Jessie was already of an understanding of the day's events, as Biggs had informed her of their scheduled arrival back at Edenfell.

As Lightning rubbed her wrist she let Jessie ease off Nora's coat, which had been used in place of a handkerchief several times in the car.

Lightning checked her watch; they had been away for almost the entire day, including the tiresome travelling.

"Technically you would be out working in the yard now, but I want you to get some rest after I get one of the nurses to see you."

Nora's downcast face looked up at her, and she slowly shook her head. "No, Fang's company shall do me some good in the gardens. The doctors at the hospital said I should talk about what happened with someone."

_You can talk to _me. _What is it with Fang?_

Lightning ran her fingers through the shorter part of her hair to compose herself. "Fine, you can speak to Fang, but I'll send her to the medical bay instead."

It had been well over a week since they'd spoken anyway, so maybe now was the time to confront each other.

* * *

Clothed in her gardening overalls, Fang made sure that watering the flowerbeds was the last thing she did before retiring back to Wing Thirteen. The floorboards of the shed were beginning to show signs of being tampered with, so she would have to be careful not to leave any traces of their mischief behind.

After pulling the watering can out of the hole, she replaced the floorboard, using a trowel to hammer the nails down as much as possible before giving up. She placed the watering can next to one she had filled with water; the only giveaway between the two was the strong smell from the one she would carry in her left hand.

Her earlier workout had turned her arms to jelly, so when she lifted both containers, her arms shook with the strain. She kicked the shed door open, almost hobbling outside with the added weight. The route she had planned out earlier, opting for an anti-clockwise course that would take her to the cell windows last.

She watered a bed of snapdragons, bending down once or twice to gently squeeze the petals together, so that they opened up like a dragon's jaw.

When she reached the wall of cell windows Fang whistled a long, well-practiced tune, and out of one of the windows tumbled a beige bed sheet.

"Funny, I thought it was hair you were supposed to throw down," she muttered.

She wrapped the edge of the sheet around the correct watering can handle, testing the weight before letting go. For all the effort the girls had put into this, it would be a shame to be showered in the stuff.

Fang watched in awe as the watering can was heaved up, wincing when it bounced off the wall once or twice.

An arm reached out and grabbed the handle, and another appeared with a plastic mug. It was a shaky start as whoever was pouring was doing a remarkable job in making it rain over Fang, who took a step back.

When it was apparently empty, the watering can was eased down, and Fang unravelled the knot, heading back to the shed.

"Hey."

_Fuck. _Fang spun towards the voice she now recognised as Lightning Farron's. Her eyes darted towards the cell windows, watching the tail of the bed sheet slither back into the cell not a moment too soon.

* * *

Fang looked terrified for a moment, but instead of replying she looked past Lightning like she was a ghost of her imagination. As the woman carried on, Lightning called out:

"Fang, don't test my patience any more than you already have. I need your cooperation."

Fang finally stopped, back straight, fists clenched around the watering cans. "Oh, so you want me _now_, Miss Farron?"

"You're on thin ice as it is – disrespecting a member of staff is a serious offence."

"It was only a kiss." Lightning followed Fang into the shed, licking her dry lips.

She realised her mistake, as they were standing in the place where it had all happened to begin with.

"Then why do it? Don't you understand the repercussions? If anyone found out, you'd be shipped off somewhere else."

Fang was unzipping her overalls, pulling the sleeves from her arms so that they flopped by her waist. "Then why haven't you told anyone? Not even-"

"I'm not here to discuss this. I'm here because-"

"You need a second opinion on what colour to paint your bedroom walls?" Fang offered with a sneer.

"-Nora's son is _dead_."

Fang stopped what she was doing, looking for a reaction as if Lightning was kidding. A cold draft blew through time-worn panels of the shed, making both women shiver. The wind had also carried Fang's angry words away with it, and she was left gawking.

"Shit… Lightning is she okay?"

"She's an emotional mess, and for reasons unbeknownst to me, it's you she wants to speak to."

They walked silently to the medical bay to find Nora had started to cry again. She was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, as a nurse uttered quiet words to her.

Without a hesitation, Fang rushed to her side, and in turn the nurse rushed to Lightning to give her an update.

"I've gave her some anti-depressants and some sleeping tablets. They should kick in soon."

"Good. She's in a four-person cell, so she'll be under the careful watch of the others."

Lightning would have to alert the officers to Nora's case, and place her on suicide watch for the mean time.

Nora shifted off the bed, her tight hold on Fang's hand finally loosened. "I'm ready to go back, thank you Miss Gainsborough."

They left the medical bay, and Lightning opened the final gate to the wing waiting for the women to go through. Fang stopped however, smiling weakly at Nora.

"Is it okay if you go on ahead?"

"Of- of course."

The taller woman waited for Nora to be out of earshot, before turning to her, fiddling with her necklaces. "Look, Lightning I'm sorry. I've come to realise… I don't like seeing you pissed off, least of all with me."

"Well there's a start," Lightning snapped, just as Fang was about to place a hand on her arm. Still sensing hostility however, Fang disguised the move as an attempt to fold her arms. "You still have much to proving to do."

Fang's exotic features twisted into a sorrowful look, one which almost convinced her that this was her fault – and she was the one who had been kissed!

"Yeah, goodnight Ligh… Miss Farron."

Watching Fang retreat was difficult, but at least she'd gotten an apology.

* * *

The earlier excitement of having her first alcoholic drink in over three years disappeared, creating another empty hole in Fang's chest. If she was even to have so much as a sip of the homemade brew, she knew it would send her mind to dark places that she was better off avoiding.

"Thanks for waiting Nora, but if it's all the same to you, I think I'll give tonight a miss."

"This entire thing is for you to begin with, now you will at least stay a while." Nora dragged her to the four-person cell, the giggles already kicking off inside.

Rikku was buzzing already. "Hey! _Mad dra byndo pakeh_!"

Fang only just recognised the word 'party' in that sentence. Much to her surprise, her mug was already filled with the amber liquid, which looked far from appetising. There were sugar particles gathered at the edges of her cup, crystallised from lack of stirring.

Nora filled the others in about her son, dampening the mood slightly, but it gave their gathering a completely new purpose.

Fang raised her mug. "To Nora and her son."

"To Fang," Nora added, raising her own.

And in turn, everyone added their own little piece.

"To a new circle of friends."

"To sexy Officer Strife."

"To making this under the noses of all the screws!" Rikku finished.

They clashed their mugs together in cheers, simultaneously chugging down the drink. Vanille finished first, but dropped her mug, sending it clattering across the floor. Everyone else started hacking at the taste, except Nora who had wisely pinned her nose before tasting it.

"That was rank," Vanille complained, and she wandered to the toilet as a precaution, retching just as she got to the bowl.

It didn't take long for Fang to feel just as ill, where her drink decided to sit uncomfortably in her throat. One wrong move and she would be sick.

For the rest of their free time, most laughed, shared stories, and spoke to Nora about her son Hope. The motherly woman's face was dry for now, but she was complaining of the sleeping pills beginning to kick in.

Fang and Vanille took that as their cue to leave, hugging everyone before departing for their own respective cells.

"Do you feel any different?" Vanille asked just as they left.

Vanille was still looking queasy from the alcohol, which remarkably left Fang a fruity aftertaste on the back of her tongue. But there was some definite fogginess in her mind. The fun part now would be getting to their cells without anyone smelling the alcohol on their breath.

Vanille took a deep breath to clear her mind. Her smaller frame already overpowered by the drink, as she staggered into the first set of stairs.

"Okay, be casual," the redhead said, more to herself than Fang.

This made the woman laugh as the smaller girl continued to swagger around drunkenly. "Now try not to make your roomie aware of your… inebriation."

By the time Fang made it up the last flight of stairs her head was spinning, and then the room was. She threw the plastic cup under the tap for some water, determined not to be sick.

She collapsed on the bed, her skin damp like condensation on a cold glass. Her eyes fluttered closed, but she still felt in motion. In the lower levels, she heard someone protest loudly, followed by an unpleasant heaving of someone's stomach contents.

She didn't need to guess who that might've been.

* * *

When Lightning got home, there were no promising smells of food wafting from the kitchen, nor the news that she and Cid were going out to eat, because he didn't appear to be home. It surprised her at first because he was always home before her, not that she expected dinner on the table every time.

She placed her car keys on the kitchen counter, calling Cid's name just in case. She looked upstairs, noticing the light from the office shine against the walls of the landing. She poked her head around the door to find her fiancé hunched over his laptop asleep. Curious, she found herself slipping round the desk, swiping the touchpad of the laptop so that it sprung to life from sleep mode.

The bright screen flashed, and where she expected to see a spread sheet of his cash flow she was greeted by a different screen.

_I've never placed a password on here before_, she frowned.

A password wouldn't usually bother her, but this was _her_ laptop he was using whilst Cid was waiting for his own to be repaired. Her attempts at guessing the password over his shoulder resulted in a failure each time, and she stopped herself before she could lock the laptop from being accessed fully.

She retreated from the laptop and Cid like they had suddenly burnt her. Although she wanted to slap him on the arm, spin the chair around, and demand an answer, she told herself to wait.

And wait she did.

As planned, Cid emerged from the office once he smelled the pizza in the oven. She didn't often cook from frozen, preferring to make things from scratch in her free time, but tonight she didn't feel like it.

Cid yawned, pecking her on the cheek as he sat down at the breakfast bar. "It's a good job I have you, otherwise I'd have been asleep over my work from the rest of the night without eating."

Lightning leaned over the oven, momentarily enjoying the heat it was emitting as she stared blankly at the tiles in front of her. Behind her, Cid was milling about and although she couldn't quite tell what he was doing, she did recognise the sound of the fridge opening and closing.

"You're quiet again."

"Rough day," she explained. When was it ever smooth sailing as governor?

"Let me guess - you and this Fang aren't talking still?"

Her jaw almost dropped in amazement. "How'd you guess that of all things?"

"Well that time you fell out with Serah you didn't mention her name for ages, either," Cid smiled smugly. "That, and after you told me your plans to have this Fang woman on your side, I reckon no mention of her now means you've had a little fight. And I was there when that woman decided to storm off in a huff, remember? I think she might have a thing for you."

Lightning cleared her throat, thankful that the timer had buzzed for their food. She opened the oven, almost grabbing the tray with her bare hands. She pulled away in the last second.

"What makes you say that?"

"You told me she kicked off after her girlfriend left her, correct?"

Of course she had. But what surprised her most was that Cid actually listened in the first place. She put their pizza on a plate, cutting it into quarters before serving it up.

"I wouldn't blame her," Cid continued. "You're stunning."

If only he knew what had happened.

"_Cid_," she warned.

"Sorry."

"If you must know I escorted a prisoner to hospital. Her son died today."

He didn't look the least bit perturbed, which steadily grew on her patience. He flicked through a nearby newspaper, particularly interested in the business section near the back.

"So have you seen any wedding dresses you like yet?"

Lightning shrugged, picking a piece of mushroom from her slice of pizza. "I haven't looked yet, to be honest."

"Well you should, because I just got a date confirmed."

Cid sounded genuinely excited at this, but the news worried Lightning. They hadn't discussed dates at all. Cid continued:

"The church called saying that there was a cancellation and said we could have it."

"Right, yes, but when?"

"In three months' time," Cid grinned. "Of course I did have to do a little persuading, but it wasn't much, they didn't ask for the world."

Cid beamed, moving around the breakfast bar to kiss Lightning, but she moved last minute and he caught her cheek instead. Three months was just too soon, especially when he had only just proposed, especially with everything she had on her plate back at Edenfell.

Concern flooded her. "Cid that's too early."

He studied her reaction, looking confused at why she was so unenthusiastic about what should be the happiest day of her life.

"Why do I get the feeling you don't care?"

She threw the remainders of her food into the bin, and the plate into the sink to worry about tomorrow.

"Of course I care – I'm marrying you aren't I?"

Cid's expression darkened. "Make it sound like a chore, why don't you?"

Rage simmered beneath her skin, threatening to boil over and ruin everything. She wanted to scream at him, or punch something, or just run away. She could hold her tongue now, and everything would calm down.

"Why has my laptop got a lock on it, Cid?"

He stopped short of the kitchen door at her accusing words. She was just being picky now, she didn't mind a verbal or physical fight.

"Because I took it to work, Light," he sneered. "And it could've been snatched by anyone."

The answer seemed stupidly obvious now, and the governor blamed her blindness on the day's events. She reached forward ready to grab him and apologise, but he sidestepped out of her way, much like she had done with his kiss.

Her hand met her face out of frustration. "Cid, I'm sorry."

"Piss off, Lightning."

He grabbed his own car keys from their usual place in the empty fruit bowl, leaving Lightning think and overthink some more.

* * *

Solitary confinement was no place for weak minds. The days had melted together to make one eternity, which Jihl spent wearing nothing more than a shift dress that looked more like a hospital gown for patients. The flimsy piece of material was provided in place of her clothes on the first day, and it was cleverly designed to be uncomfortable. It was thin enough for you to feel the cold, but thick enough to stop you from dying because from it.

She wasn't sure what time it was, but guessed by the dying light outside that it was evening. Jihl squirmed around in the sheets, trying to block out any gaps of cool air from touching her exposed skin.

Outside the wind howled and with it her cell door creaked open. At first she thought it was the door blowing open, but there stood Yaag, his face obscured by the natural darkness of the room.

He was the last person she wanted to see, ever. "What are you doing here?"

He approached her slowly, keeping the door ajar behind him.

"Warming you up," he whispered simply in her ear.

He wrenched the blankets from her, despite her protests, and ripped the shift dress in his attempts to get it off her.

"Did you set me up?"

He ignored her, kissing her neck with a bruising force.

"I said did you set me up?"

A cautionary bite sent shivers through her spine, but only because she was freezing. She clawed at him, managing to get at his face.

When he realised she wasn't going to consent, he rolled off her, throwing her to the floor. He grabbed her long hair, winding it around his wrist for leverage and pulled her to his lips. "I am the only ally you have around here, remember that."

He unbuckled his belt, flipping her over so that her face pressed hard against cold floor. His entire weight was crushing.

"You just wanted me out of the way," she screamed.

She had thought it over so many times whilst alone in solitary. Who else would set her up? He had asked her specifically for drugs to set Yun up, but she was adamant he had changed his mind once he saw the new girl.

It didn't cause anyone to run to help her, as he slid into her over and over again until he came. Her glasses, which had remarkably stayed on her face the entire time, finally cracked at the final shove, the frame bending from the impact of the floor.

They were both coated in sweat once he'd finished, and Yaag staggered back into the wall, panting. The moonlight streaming from the high window shone across his face, highlighting the deep vertical scratch she had inflicted upon his forehead.

He touched it lightly, wincing at the contact, then re-tied his ponytail, smoothing down any and every ruffle in his appearance.

"I said I would warm you up," he smirked coolly.

But the only warmth she felt were the tears that streamed down her face, and even that was temporary.

He left her to shiver on the floor, and after what seemed like hours, Jihl picked herself up from the floor with weak arms.

The lens of her glasses fell out onto her palm, and she curled her fingers around what was left of it. The shards bit into her flesh, but she held them gently enough not to cut herself.

Temper rising, her plan of revenge came quicker than Yaag did.

* * *

**A/N: Hello! I hope you liked this chapter, because the next one is going to be pretty messy (in a good way).**

**Any and all feedback is welcome, as are questions.**

**Enjoy!**


	5. Chapter 5

** Behind Lock and Key**

**Chapter 5: Opportunist**

* * *

When Rikku awoke she was only vaguely aware of still being alive. Her night had not been the most restful, as she threw up almost every hour past lock up. At one point she and Yuffie had fought for access to the toilet, and she was sure Yuffie had been sick in her hair. Paine was not best pleased. Nora seemed to have it the easiest of those who drank, rushing to the toilet only once to find it was only a false alarm.

Now it felt as though death had crawled down her throat and kicked her stomach and punched her forehead. Rikku let her head drop to her left, to see if anyone else was awake yet. Although Nora was facing away from her, she could see her entire body trembling with her silent sob. Yuffie was out cold.

A low whistle echoed throughout the wing, followed by the jangling of keys; usually the signal that Officer Steiner or Rosch was ready to open the cells for morning, because they enjoyed pissing off prisoners with their awful whistling.

She hopped off the top bunk, bare feet meeting the cold prison floor with a fleshy slapping sound. Just as Rikku began to change into fresh clothes, Paine threw the pillow from her face, an exasperated sigh escaping her. The shadows under her eyes revealed that she had just as little sleep as Rikku had.

Paine remained lying flat, staring blankly at the bunk above. "Why the fuck was everyone being sick?"

Well, she couldn't really tell her the truth. "Simple, because we're awesome."

"That makes no sense."

"It does to us," Rikku said, shuffling into a pair of shorts.

The two got ready avoiding each other in the best way they could, plenty of feet apart. When Nora sat up, she was already dressed in different clothes. Nora looked worse for wear than she did, but only because she'd been crying also.

She combed her fingers through her hair, separating bits in order to plait them, before collecting it all in a high ponytail. Her last accessory would always be her goggles, which she kept safely under her pillow at night. Her hand slipped under the pillow, grasping nothing but air.

But she could have sworn she left it there last night!

"Hey," Rikku wandered over to Yuffie and slapped her face several times. "Oi, get up."

The darker haired thief was breathing, but she certainly wasn't alive in any other sense. Nora pulled her hand away when she slapped her firmly several more times, and the girl finally stirred.

Yuffie's eyes opened and she looked dazedly at the ceiling. "I think my entire innards have melted, only for me to have spewed them up last night."

Although she could relate to such a graphic description, she needed peace of mind.

"Yuffie have you got them?" Rikku tried her best to whisper, but it was hard when it was something so urgent.

Judging by how hard it had been to wake Yuffie up, the girl must've nabbed a few hypers in the night. And she was furious. They'd never taken a hyper without the other present, which they had agreed early on in their friendship. It was a tough move for Rikku, because she had smuggled them through and chose to freely provide them.

"You thief!" Rikku slapped Yuffie properly then, and the sound cracked through the air.

There was a mixed reaction of gasps and sucking of breath around the room, followed by a heavy silence.

A hand shaped mark had already burnt into Yuffie's face. "What've you done with my goggles, Yuffie?"

Finally out of her sleep induced daze, Yuffie jumped out of bed and sized Rikku up. "I haven't touched your stupid goggles, what makes you think I would?"

Rikku was ready to go toe to toe with Yuffie, even if she was her best pal. "Because they're gone, and you look all spaced out!"

"I've got a hangover of course I look a little spaced out… I'm_ suffering_."

Rikku whipped her head towards Paine. If Yuffie didn't have them, it would be Paine who was the next culprit. She stole the hypers from her once; there was nothing to say she wouldn't do it again.

"It was you then, you punk ass bitch," Rikku roared.

The feeling of fear she once had about Paine had sizzled out and replaced itself with pure anger. Yet Paine wasn't having any of it either.

"You think I'd steal them again after handing them back? Fuck you, Al Bhed scum."

Without warning, the cell door swung open, and Officer Steiner bounded in. "Explain this noise!"

Rikku regretfully bit her tongue. If Steiner found out the real reason for their argument, they'd all be sent down to solitary and their cell would be searched.

"Just being our regular moody selves, you wouldn't understand."

With his dark, displeased eyes he studied her for what seemed like eternity, his face looking both bored and suspicious.

"If you so much as sneeze before breakfast, each and every one of you are going on report," he growled, leaving their cell door open when he retreated.

Rikku stood in the doorway, turning to address the suspects. "I want my goggles returned to me by tonight, with everything that was in it, or so help me I will slit both your throats."

"Does anyone want any washing done today? I'm doing some after breakfast," Nora stammered.

Still angry, Rikku replied a little harsher than preferred. "No."

The guilt only sank in once Rikku stormed out of the cell. Nora's son was dead, and she was being a little bitch about a couple of replaceable drugs and a pair of goggles. She hurried back, just catching Nora with a bundle of bed sheets in her arms.

"Sorry Nora. I can give you a hand though, if you want?"

"No, I'd like to do this alone if you don't mind."

Rikku blinked and Nora was already hurrying away, carrying everything deemed washable in her arms.

She wished she could do more, but she was useless with words, and the best healer in here was time.

* * *

Lightning had woken up to an empty bed that morning, with Cid's side of the bed still made. He had definitely been home since, as a newly boxed laptop sat on the coffee table with an apology beside it. She read it, to find that he'd taken her laptop to work one last time, and that once his own had been repaired he'd transfer files over to the new one, causing her to think that maybe she had been overacting with the password on her laptop, because she never really used it that much anyway. It was after she finished reading the letter that she had received a most frighteningly calm phone call from Amodar, Edenfell's governing governor, requesting her presence that day.

And here she was, knocking on his office door in the centre of Edenfell, where all the prison's wings branched off from. On her way she even recognised a few faces from her training days, and even university, although she chose not the say hello.

"Come in."

"Good morning Amodar, sir."

Amodar was seated behind his desk, reclining as much as the office chair would allow. His keg of a stomach filled most of her view of him, but she could just see the inkling of a smirk hiding behind his moustache, and his crow's feet creasing at the corners of his eyes.

"I'm pleased you could drop by, I know how problematic your wing is at the moment. So busy in fact, you never even informed me about your new promotion."

Lightning frowned. "My job as wing governor is hardly new now, sir."

"No, I mean the one that allowed you to clear an outside visitation."

She drew in a large breath as slow and as unnoticeable as possible, because as much and she didn't want him to know, his directness stunned her. But she had planned her argument time and time again.

"Sir, you know that I only act accordingly. When the hospital called, Mrs Estheim's son was critically ill and it was advised that she should see him immediately. As it happens, he died during that visit. Would you have me deny a mother of seeing her son?"

Amodar leaned forward, hands clasped. "No, probably not if you had of cleared it with_ me_ first. This isn't my only problem, Farron. It was also the fact you escorted her yourself, leaving the wing without a governor. Why not send an officer?"

_Because I wanted to be the one she can confide in._

She couldn't tell him that though, he'd think she was being childish. "I didn't have time."

Amodar leaned back into his chair again, sighing audibly. She knew he wasn't the type to remain angry, but that didn't mean she would keep testing him. Finally, after a few more persuasive words, he let her go, but not without a verbal warning.

Once he was finished with her, she headed to the staffroom, in order to give the day's briefing, and when she got there the room was a flurry of different conversations.

None of which had noticed her yet.

"That ruddy Dia girl was sick on me, of course I'm allowed to put her on report!" Steiner boomed from the sink.

Lightning turned towards the female officers Elena and Tifa, who were heavily distracted by their gossiping. There was an obvious mention of Elena's brother, Cloud, followed by many tones of disapproval. She could have laughed.

She cleared her throat. "Adelbert, I regret to inform you that you can't throw anyone on report just for being sick on you," Officer Steiner jumped at her voice, and he turned to reveal a large, orangey stain on the front of his black V-neck jumper. "Just get it washed in the laundry room later."

For anyone who was not present yesterday, she repeated her concerns about Nora Estheim and recounted yesterday's events at the hospital. It put a dampener on the overall mood of the room, but Lightning couldn't afford to be in anymore trouble with Amodar. But everyone agreed to keep a watchful eye on her.

"And finally, I've decided that Jihl Nabaat can return back to the wing. It seems her time there has finally cooled her temper. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Yaag spoke up. "She was found with drugs in her cell so shouldn't that mean she gets taken off the enhanced level of the wing?"

Cloud nodded his support. "It's only fair. I've seen others taken off level three for much less."

Lightning turned to look out across the wing for a moment, weighing her options. "Unless we swap people around, we don't have the space to do so yet, so we'll have to leave her there for now."

"How about that Ashelia woman?" Yaag suggested with a shrug. "It would place Nabaat and Dia together, but Ashe is also here for a long stay."

Although the suggestion was viable, Lightning didn't like the fact it came from Rosch of all people. "I'll think about it."

* * *

The long walk down the corridor was like a dream to her, one she had dreamt many times during her long stay in solitary. She was wearing her proper clothes now for one, and _shoes. _Her feet had been constantly freezing during her isolation.

Miss Lockhart had been the one to release her, and even passed over a sealed packet of biscuits from the kitchens as a treat, like she was a dog. She would've thrown it back in the woman's stupid face had she not been so hungry. The portions were meagre in confinement.

She threw the wrapper on the floor once Lockhart wasn't looking, and stomped towards the level two cells.

"Sorry Jihl, I heard Rosch isn't interested in big tits anymore," Yuffie catcalled from the safety of her cell on the ground floor.

Her target was leaning on the wall outside of her shared cell, watching Jihl carefully. Yes, this Ashe girl was pretty, but she was neither beautiful nor as shapely as Jihl was.

"I came here to hear it from the horse's mouth," Jihl smirked when Ashe straightened to look taller, as if that would work against her. "What's going on with you and Rosch? Your answer will determine how little or how much I scalp you later."

Ashe laughed behind her hand, unfazed at the threat. She beckoned Jihl inside her cell, but Jihl kept her distance at the threshold, as to have the advantage. She was not about to go from solitary to the medical bay in a matter of minutes because of carelessness, especially if Ashe planned on attacking her.

"I'm in here because I love my husband," Ashe began, sitting on her bed. "I am not about to cheat on him for some greasy pig like Rosch."

"Oh then we both agree on something," Jihl smiled devilishly. "That Rosch deserves to eat his own cock."

Ashe preoccupied herself rustling around the back of a drawer, pulling out a prison library book. It was old and leather-bound, stamped with Edenfell's prison logo on the spine. She opened the front cover, revealing a large hole cut into the centre of the book's pages. Intrigued, Jihl leaned forward, and the high-born pulled out a homemade shank. It was the combination of a toothbrush and the blade from a disposable razor, held together by melted bristles.

Ashe twirled the weapon between her finger and thumb, inspecting it as if it were a diamond. It was well-made, Jihl would give her that, but the fierce look in the woman's eye even unnerved her.

"That lesbian unknowingly gave me an idea when she said the man deserved his balls chopping, and now you think he should eat his own dick. So, who wants to do the honours?"

This changed things entirely.

Jihl grasped the handle of the offered shank. "As if I need any persuading."

The blade flashed when she caught it in the sunlight, and it was beautiful. Ashe closed the book which hid the object, replacing it back in her drawer before pacing the room.

"Then you'll need time to lure him, and a big diversion."

"I know your story, by the way," Jihl interrupted. "You hired a hitman to off a guy who was after your husband."

Although she was willing to be the one to kill Rosch, she wasn't about to gain a greater life sentence on her own.

"And? That hitman failed and grassed, whereas you won't. Do this and I'll see that you don't rot in here."

She knew promises meant nothing in Edenfell, but she would at least indulge herself in what the woman's plan actually was. That and she was the one with the shank, so if Ashe tried anything funny, she would cut her a bigger smile.

* * *

It was a shame that all good things had to come to an end, and for Fang this was Jihl coming back from her long stay in solitary. She hadn't seen the woman, but Yuffie had, and she also expressed great displeasure at the news. Together they joined the food line at the cafeteria, and for Fang the line couldn't shorten quickly enough.

"So how are you feeling today?" Fang asked.

Yuffie was looking rather peaky still, and she was most definitely quitter than usual.

"Ugh, I threw up tons last night. And to top it all off," Yuffie lowered her voice for eavesdroppers. "Rikku things I took her goggles… which have her hypers in, yeah?"

"And did you?"

"No! We promised never to take them alone."

Yuffie grabbed some cornflakes, pouring more than her fair share into her plastic bowl. Fang opted for toast and jam, chuckling as Yuffie also drowned her cereal in milk. Just as she'd finished grabbing her food, Fang spotted a very angry Rikku near the back of the queue, they were lacking in two of their other friends.

"Officer Steiner," Fang called out as he strolled through the tables. "Have you seen Vanille anywhere?"

Upon turning around, his white shirt revealed a large orangey stain on it. "She's at the medical bay at the moment," he pointed at the glaring stain. "For doing _this_."

Yuffie sprayed cereal in his direction laughing. "Is that spaghetti sauce?"

"No it bloody well isn't!"

The man was getting redder and redder, and biting her tongue was all Fang could do not to laugh. It looked like Vanille was still suffering from the alcohol whereas Fang had woken with just a killer headache. But then there was still Nora to account for.

"Oh man, she's got face like thunder," Yuffie said between bites. "If Rikku tries to convince you I stole her goggles, just ignore her."

When she finally got through the queue, Rikku sat beside Fang, slamming her tray on the table to make a point.

"Rough night?" Fang asked, although she knew the answer.

Rikku shot a glare towards Yuffie. "There's a thief in our cell."

Fang smirked, spreading the strawberry jam across her toast, undeterred by the icy atmosphere. "Funny, I thought there were two thieves in your cell."

Neither laughed, which was a shame, because even Fang thought her comment was funny. "What about Paine? She could easily have then again."

Just as Fang had mentioned her, the leather-clad woman walked past and stopped dead at the mention of her name. "As if I'd waste my breath a second time."

"Move along thief," Yuffie waved her away, but instead of doing as she was told, Paine sat in the spare seat.

"Don't you dare accuse _me_, you little runt. If I'm not mistaken, it's a four-person cell we share."

There was a long silence, eventually broken by Rikku. "Are you saying…?"

"Nora?" Yuffie gawked. "I know she's depressed, but you don't think…?"

Fang suddenly felt sick, dropping her crusts back on the plate. Everyone else had a similar reaction except for Paine, who tucked into her breakfast unhindered by the notion that Nora might be trying to overdose.

The thieving duo shot up simultaneously, leaving their dishes, which caught the eye of Officer Rosch. "Oi, you two, clean that up!"

"I'm doing it," Fang called back, gathering up all of their abandoned trays. She turned back to Paine. "So how do I know it wasn't you?"

"I can't be bothered with the trouble anymore," Paine murmured.

"That means nothing."

Paine looked away briefly, but Fang increased the intensity of her stare. "Then what if I told you it was _me _who set Jihl up with the hypers?"

Her jaw dropped. Paine was Jihl's right-hand girl, why would she set her up? She clutched the trays tighter, looking over her shoulder. It looked like Yuffie and Rikku were having trouble getting past Steiner on the gate, so her questioning would have to wait.

"This isn't over."

She scraped the dishes clean, haphazardly throwing the dishes into a container full of soapy water, and rushed to help the girls.

"Why do the two of you have any business beyond this gate?" Steiner asked, as dubious as ever.

Both younger girls were almost pouncing on him. "Because our friend hasn't been to breakfast!"

"And that's where she was headed to this morning!"

Watching was getting incredibly frustrating, especially as Officer Steiner couldn't grasp the urgency of the situation.

"Who in the devil's name on you on about?"

This time Fang stepped in, moving the girls aside. "Listen, Nora's been gone all morning, and you guys should be watching her!"

The man paled, his previous instructions no doubt running around in his thick skull, and just like that, he was fumbling with the gate keys. Together, the four of them sprinted down the hallway, reaching the door labelled 'Laundry Room' in a matter of seconds.

A chorus rang out, all calling Nora's name.

"What's the matter?"

There wasn't much for Fang to see with Steiner's squared shoulders blocking the view, but just to hear her softly spoken voice lifted a very heavy weight from her shoulders. With their advantage of their smaller frames, the two thieves squeezed past Steiner, and grabbed an arm each, pulling Nora into a tight hug.

As Nora was lead out, Fang inspected the laundry room, seeing nothing suspicious in the slightest. Maybe she _was_ just washing clothes.

Back at the wing, Fang found Paine exactly where she'd left her, only now she was sipping expectantly at her tea.

"I take it Nora is fine," Paine said as Fang took a seat opposite like an interrogator.

"Enough, back to your previous statement. What do you mean you set Jihl up? You're on her side."

"Jihl and Rosch did try to plant hypers in your cell, so when you were searched that day, there should have been drugs there. Although I initially stole the hypers from Rikku to help Jihl, I didn't know she was working under the instructions of Rosch to get back at you," Paine ran a finger across the rim of the cup several times. "Despite every warning, she still insists on… _liaising_ with the man. She needed to learn her lesson. Now she thinks he set her up."

Fang sat back, still surprised by Paine's words, but nevertheless pleased by them. To have Jihl warring against Officer Rosch meant that they would not be teaming up against her any time soon.

"I thought you hated me though, why not have both Jihl and I sent down to solitary?"

There was no mistaking the sudden change in Paine's face colour, and when she picked up her mug her hand quivered. "I've never hated you. Yes, I'm loyal to Jihl, but I'd be twice as loyal to _you_."

Fang was no fool; she knew what that meant coming from a social recluse like Paine. But the longer they let the silence fall, the more Fang wished it was Lightning sitting there instead telling her she didn't hate her. The taller woman stood up, thanked the rather dejected Paine and left.

She couldn't have escaped fast enough

* * *

For lunch Cloud and Yaag had decided on visiting the local pub, which was just down the street from work. With only minutes to go, every second became an eternity, which wasn't helped by the fact Cloud checked his watch every few seconds. He headed towards the staff locker room, grabbing his coat as he waited.

Eventually Yaag ran in, dropping his keys and radio on the bench beside Cloud. "Sorry, I'm late just gotta piss first."

Cloud looked at his watch again to find they were both still ten minutes early. The governor would kill them if they went now, but it would mean that they still had a full hour once they drove to the pub in Yaag's car.

"Wow, you're eager to get away, I've still got a few more minutes left of my lunch break and you're skiving back here," Elena said as she walked into the locker room.

Elena shrugged off her coat and placed it in her locker. For lunch she had removed her jumper and tie, reminding Cloud he could take his off and free his neck.

"Oh come on, you went early last week, why can't I?"

There was a crackling sound, followed by a series of 'hellos'. Both siblings turned to face Yaag's radio, but it was Elena who ran to it. Grabbing it before Cloud could so much as blink.

"Hello, Officer Elena Strife here."

_"Hello? Is Officer Rosch around? One of the inmates is requesting him I believe he is their personal officer."_

He didn't like the way Elena then smirked, slowly bringing the radio to her lips. "Yaag is on his break soon, but he says he'll be right over."

Cloud leapt for Elena and the radio both. "What are you doing? We're going for lunch now!"

_"Thanks, tell him it's a Miss Nabaat, over."_

She was the worst sister ever, and she had just ruined their plans. She stuck her tongue out at him, running around the benches in the centre of the room as he tried to grab her. As much as he didn't like to admit it, Elena was always the faster of the two, even when they were kids.

"What are you two doing?" Yaag asked, still in the process of zipping up her trousers.

Cloud groaned, unable to catch Elena. "She answered your radio and it looks like Jihl wants to speak with you."

Amazingly, Yaag didn't look too angry, cursing Nabaat rather than Elena. "I might have to cancel on you. I don't know how long this will take, so I'll tell the next person they can have lunch early."

Elena gasped. "Oh Yaag get Tifa, please! Maybe Cloud can make up for his idiocy."

As much as he wanted to be on better terms with Tifa, Cloud wasn't quite sure he was ready to face her alone. However, Yaag was already out the door, and Cloud plonked himself down on the bench in defeat, with Elena gloating.

And there was nothing worse than Elena gloating. "You'll thank me."

"No I won't."

"At least pay for her lunch," Elena said, on her way back to the wing.

"I was going to anyway!" He called back, just as the door shut.

* * *

"I thought we'd take advantage of the weather today," Lightning said as Fang sat down on the bench.

Lightning didn't want to appear too friendly so she remained standing with her arms folded, looking out across the yard. Fang groaned as she stretched out, massaging her temples as if she'd had a rough night.

"That's fine," Fang muttered. "Fresh air is good."

The corners of Lightning's mouth twitched. If she didn't know any better she'd have presumed Fang was suffering from a hangover, but since another prisoner had been sick, there was probably a bug going round.

"How is Nora today? I've scheduled a meeting to discuss her parole for her son's funeral."

Fang looked away pensively, resting a hand on her chin. "I think she's just looking for time alone. She almost missed breakfast in favour of waiting fora bloody washing machine to finish. But we dragged her back."

Lightning nodded. It impressed her how much Fang was able to look after those in her close circle of friends. What Lightning was imposing on Fang was really the job of one her officers, or even herself. She didn't need to ask what Fang's reasons were, not after the inmate had kissed her.

"I've told everyone to keep an eye on Nora. My superior has already had a go at me for clearing her visit without his permission, so I can't afford any slip-ups."

"That bastard had a go at you? I'd say you acted accordingly."

_Which is what _I _said._

As Fang lay out across the entire bench, Lightning moved behind it, leaning forwards on the back of the seat. From where she stood, she was able to see many of the flowers that Fang was responsible for planting, which brought some colour back into the dull prison.

"Have you ever thought about appealing your case?" Lightning said, almost rather randomly.

The darker haired woman had he eyes closed, allowing Lightning to study the sharp angles of her eyebrows, her thick, dark lashes and even the wilderness of her hair without her noticing.

"I was told during my court case that I'd be hard pushed for anyone to even take my side, so no."

Lightning frowned. "Why not try anyway?"

Fang opened one eye. "Well for one, there'd be no one waiting for me at the other end."

The governor looked away at that moment, digging her nails into the dry wood, splintering it slightly. "It doesn't mean you shouldn't have a life outside of prison walls. You're a likeable person, Fang. You'd make friends in no time."

The inmate's laugh rang out. "It sounds like you want to see the back of me. Or are you the one who'll be waiting for me on the other side with open arms?"

At the mention of it, Lightning tried to conjure up how that scenario would turn out. She'd never heard of a prisoner and officer socialising outside of prison, and with Fang, she'd certainly consider it.

"If it meant I could keep an eye on you," Lightning said watching Fang bask in the sunlight. "I wouldn't want you slipping up and ending back in handcuffs."

"Depends," the inmate's peaceful expression quickly turned into a mischievous grin, and the woman fought to keep a straight face. "Would you be doing the handcuffing?"

Her grip tightened on the back of the bench again, causing more shards to break away and bite into her hands. She pulled her hand back and found one of the splinters in her ring finger.

"You're insatiable," Lightning grunted, plucking the piece of wood from her finger. "I am only going to continue forgiving you, if you stop with all of _this."_

Fang looked apologetic, but didn't say sorry, eyes dropping to the engagement ring once or twice instead. Lightning shoved her hands into her back pockets.

* * *

Fang remained sprawled out on the bench long after the governor left to find Nora, enjoying her free time before she would be needed around the yard. Things had gotten a bit awkward when Fang blurted out about the handcuffs, which had quickly turned into a fantasy over the past few weeks.

Fang sat up, sensing someone approach her; it was Nora. "Hey, how'd the meeting go?"

The woman looked incredibly tired, even more so than earlier. Fang patted the space beside her, hinting for Nora to sit own, but she stayed standing, looking out across the yard like Miss Farron had done.

Fang cleared her throat. "Listen, I know this is hard to talk about… but when's the funeral? When are you going?"

Despite the warmth, and the still air, and the cloudless sky, something sent shivers down Fang's spine when Nora replied:

"I'll not be burying him."

Fang remained quiet.

* * *

They arranged to meet in the library during the second hour of their free time. It was never a popular place, because the majority of the inmates were uneducated idiots. Whilst she was waiting for Jihl to arrive, Ashe had taken the book she had borrowed and defaced back, as to not be caught with it later.

The library door shut, and Ashe swivelled around startled by the sudden noise. Luckily it was only the buxom blonde as expected, and the smug look on her face meant that everything had gone well.

"I told him that it'll be a false alarm, so we have all the time in the world."

They spoke in low whispers regardless of being alone, and Ashe realised the boring old library was slowly becoming her favourite place, because of the silence. She pulled back the spine of the most tattered looking book on the shelf, and realised after scanning a few pages that it was an erotic fiction. Clearly due to its state, it had been read the most by the prison's deprived inmates, which amused her greatly. Officer Rosch must also be deprived if he was willing to risk his job for Jihl of all people.

"He's taking the bait so easily," Ashe mused. "Does he suspect something or is he truly thinking with his dick?"

Jihl cackled, disturbing the peacefulness of the room. "So how soon can we get rid of him?"

"Later, like before dinner time, I think. I will pull the alarm, just not in the wing, so I'll have no chance of being caught."

* * *

Fang and Nora had finally finished up in the yard. There hadn't much to do but to organise the shed, and despite its size, it took a surprising amount of time. Nora was quiet for the most part, reminding Fang of when she had first arrived and refused to speak.

As they trekked back to the wing, Fang watched Nora from the corner of her eyes, coming close to asking Nora about her son and what she had planned. She shook her head at her mistake, how could Nora even fathom a funeral when Hope's death was not even twenty-four hours ago?

They parted ways to go to their respective cells, and as Fang entered hers she noticed in the mirror that she'd gotten a smudge of soil on her face. Slightly annoyed that Nora hadn't bothered to tell her, she wiped it away. That woman was really beginning to worry her.

She rummaged around in her cell, grabbing a change of clean clothes, a towel, and more suitable shoes, deciding that a workout would calm her and be a perfect end to the afternoon. It had taken her a while to stop hating their newly provided gym, just because of the man who had supplied it, but it would be a shame to put such a facility to waste.

It would also help her clear her mind, since the governor had mentioned appealing her case earlier than day, it slowly became the only thing, other than the Lightning herself, that Fang could think about. She wasn't sure if she was reading too much into it, but there had to be a reason why Miss Farron had mentioned it. Fang was hopeful.

The inmate had just descended to the second level of the prison when a high pitched siren rang out across the entire wing. She covered her ears, as the alarm was only at arm's length from her and incredibly deafening. Instinctively, Fang ran to Vanille's cell first, in case she'd returned from the medical bay, but found it empty still.

"Is this a drill?" someone shrieked above the noise.

Fang shook her head, certain that Lightning would have at least passingly mentioned it. The prisoners flooded from their cells like ants racing out of their colony, all shouting, all confused.

"Come on everyone, follow me to the yard," Officer Lockhart instructed. "There is no need to run!"

"Yeah there is," Yuffie squealed. "_Fire!"_

The thief ran down the wing, kicking over a chair, and then toppling a bin, sending its contents spilling across the floor. Miss Lockhart ran after the excitable inmate, leaving everyone else to escort themselves out.

From what Fang could see, there was no smoke pouring out of any of the cells, nor the kitchen. So where was the fire?

Amongst the crowd she spotted Vanille's cellmate, walking with the crowd with folded arms. Fang fought the crowd to reach her, tapping her on the arm. "Hey, Ashe. Is Vanille back from the ward yet?"

"I haven't seen her, no. I wouldn't worry though, they'd probably evacuate that part first."

Fang nodded, surprisingly reassured.

Both Strife officers were organising prisoners into orderly lines, even appearing to be working together without a hitch. The thought of escorting prisoners didn't appeal to Fang, and she _was_ one, thinking of Yuffie in particular who always used situations like this to be rowdy.

Miss Farron appeared from down the corridor, looking bewildered at what was happening. Changing course, Fang stopped dead in her tracks and let everyone carry on walking as she closed in on the woman.

"Elena, I'll need the register to mark everyone off, it's gonna be hell trying to account for everyone."

"Yes, ma'am."

Fang tugged at the sleeve of Lightning's blazer, startling the governor with her presence once she turned.

"What's going on? Is there an actual fire?"

"No one's found a fire yet, but we can't take any chances," Lightning said, urging Fang to re-join the line. "Just get yourself outside."

The first thing Fang noticed was how much cooler the air was in comparison to earlier, and still, there was no smoke visible. The entire yard was abuzz with officers and prisoners alike wondering what was going on.

"Right, listen up ladies," Rosch called out from the steps looking out over the yard. "I want you all to line up according to which level you reside on. Ground floor prisoners over by the back wall, second floor just on the grass, and top floor just beside that. Find your cell buddies and report anyone who is missing."

Fang cursed the timing of his orders, as she had just spotted Vanille chatting with an inmate wearing an eye patch of all things, presumably from the medical bay also. But at least she was okay.

Arms folded, Fang wandered over to the spot where Officer Rosch had directed the third floor inhabitants, watching with amusement as Officer Lockhart finally appeared with Yuffie, who had eventually be subdued and even handcuffed. Meanwhile, Officer Elena handed the register to Rosch, who looked displeased with the given task.

As simple as forming three groups and reuniting with cellmates sounded, the officers were struggling to keep everyone focussed. It also sounded like the fire engines were finally here, above the shrieking of the fire alarm; Fang could just make out the sirens.

Miss Farron dashed off to greet the fire fighters, looking cool and composed in comparison to the easily worked up Officer Steiner, who resulted in physically moving the inmates into groups based on who they shared a room with.

Vanille was paired up with Ashe, that much she could see, but neither looked interested in speaking with each other. The poor redhead looked peaky even from the distance Fang was standing. Fang shifted to get a good look at the ground floor cluster of people, but they were too far away.

It was strange to overhear many prisoners were excited at the notion of the jail being burnt down, but Fang couldn't think of anything worse. There was no guarantee of being sent to a prison with friends, and no guarantee that the governor was as lenient, or beautiful, as the one they had now.

* * *

The firemen climbed down from the fire engine, wasting no time in grabbing equipment as one man came to address Lightning, who had only just arrived.

"Now, do you have any idea where the fire is?"

Lightning turned towards the prison, shaking her head. "The office block, kitchens, and the cells are all fine from what I've seen. It could be a false alarm, but there are other rooms that I haven't checked."

She prayed it was a false alarm, as Amodar would have her life if anything wrong happened, after she had been warned so soon. The fireman told her to remain outside, and with nothing left to do she made her way back to the yard, hoping that everything was in order.

Officer Steiner was doing a fine job in simply shouting at prisoners to keep them in line, but she was pleased to see that the other officers had a quieter approach to calming inmates.

"Yaag, please tell me everyone is where they should be."

She had purposely made him the one to check the register, as it gave him no opportunity to scheme. His face had been a mixture of surprise and displeasure.

"Ah, Lightning we have two missing," Yaag said, flicking through the register again. "I recognised that Jihl was gone, since I'm her personal officer, but more worryingly…"

Lightning swallowed. "Go on, say it."

"It's Nora Estheim, ma'am. She's gone too."

She closed her eyes. Just the name she didn't want to hear. She grabbed her radio, but lowered her hand. Who was she going to radio when they were instructed to stay outside?

Was it Jihl who pulled the alarm? Was Nora with her?

"Stay here, I'll go look for them."

It was a novel feeling to have Yaag call after her with worry quivering in his voice; especially when he'd be the first on her list for people who probably wanted her out of the job as governor. But the more she walked, the more she realised the prison was too quiet, eerily so, and every so often there was the shout of a fireman and the slamming of doors. She checked unobvious places on her way such as cupboards, staff toilets, and the laundry room. Still no one.

A short fire fighter spotted her as she entered the wing. "I know you're concerned but you should have waited until one of us told you it was clear."

"I understand, but we have two prisoners missing."

Just as she said it, Jihl came into view from behind the most muscular fireman in the group, and Lightning sighed in temporary relief. She looked miserable for being left behind, but Lightning had no idea how she'd managed to get separated from the entire wing, if not on purpose.

She grabbed Jihl as she passed by. "Have you seen Nora?"

Jihl pulled away from her touch. "No, but she's probably sobbing in a corner somewhere, the daft cow."

Heartless. That's all she could think whenever she laid eyes on Jihl; a cold-hearted bitch.

She had already wasted enough time, and she ran immediately to the four-person shared cell. If there was anywhere to start looking, it would be there.

"Nora are you in he…re."

Eyes closed and body hunched slightly in her bunk, Nora was indeed in her cell looking peaceful, but instincts kicked in and told her something was wrong. Lightning called her name again, garnering no response. Although she appeared asleep, to sleep above the noise of the fire alarm would be impossible. She grabbed her hand, which was tucked into her chest, finding a photo of her son.

"Nora," Lightning shook the woman. "Nora!"

She pressed her fingers against the woman's neck, finding no pulse. Her heart jolted.

_No, please._

Grabbing her radio she called for assistance, even checking Nora's pulse again in case her shaking hands had hid the beat. There was no mistaking it now; there was no pulse and no breathing.

Her throat was dry now, her head was dizzy, and her body felt like it was being sapped of its strength. She had never experienced this before; a dead body was only something she saw in films.

Finally, a chorus of footsteps echoed throughout the wing, and it was Cloud who reached her first. He stopped at the doorway the second he saw the scene, reading Lightning's silence well. Although a fair skinned man to begin with, his face lost all remaining colour.

"Is she breathing?" He managed to choke out.

"No."

She had overcome the light-headedness, but the shock still remained, yet she managed to brush the hair from the woman's eternally peaceful face, noting how easily the heat was escaping from the prisoner.

She had failed Nora despite placing her on suicide watch; although she would have never in a million years have guessed that the woman would go through with killing herself. Yet even with officers watching her, even being a cell with three other people, even having Fang during work duties hadn't stopped her.

When the paramedics arrived, Lightning took a step back, receiving a consoling pat on her shoulder from Cloud, who stood in the doorway and blocked everyone else from coming in.

"We'll need to place the other three from this cell in other rooms tonight, because the police will still want to investigate," she said, and Cloud was already off making a list of cells with spare beds.

She looked around the room once more as paramedics tried in vain to resuscitate Nora, realising that the woman had already stripped her bed, and laid freshly ironed sheets by the foot of her bed. It was like she never wanted to be a hindrance even in death.

The thought of needing to inform family members and Amodar filled her with dread, and the notion of delegating the job of informing Nora's family did cross her mind - but not for long. Nora had been under _her_ care and so this was down to her.

It had taken a good two hours to get in touch with Nora's next of kin, to contact Amodar, and speak to the police about Nora since she had to do everything herself. The prisoners were growing restless, yet tired, of being left in the dark about why they couldn't go back inside, and Lightning couldn't blame them. The only silver lining amongst it all was that there had been no real fire.

There was a knock at her office door, and Lightning got up to answer, finding it was Tifa on the other end with a cup of coffee. She accepted it, sipping it right away, loving how easily Tifa made it to her exact tastes.

"We've began letting the prisoners in one level at a time like you asked," she said closing the door behind her. "And with the extra help of the other wings, we'll be having food delivered to each cell instead of letting them roam around."

An early lock up was not what she wanted, but after today she knew the best thing to do was make the prisoners settle down early, making it easier for her and the officers. And once again, Amodar told her he would like to see her in the morning before work, meaning she had homework in preparing for his scolding.

Picking up the telephone, there was only one more person she needed to speak with, and that was Cid. She hadn't heard from him all day after their argument, and if she told him about what had happened now, she was more likely to receive sympathy later.

But when Cid's phone took her to voicemail, Lightning knew there was only one place she could go.

It was strange to see the wing void of prisoners due to their early lock up, and most of the officers were at home or enjoying an extended tea break. Lightning should've been home a while ago, but because Amodar had demanded an incident report to be on his desk the very next morning, the distractions of wine at home would hinder her progress.

On the second floor, Cloud had just rushed into a rowdy cell, meaning she was able to avoid him also, as she jogged up to the third floor. She counted the doors as she walked, ensuring she got to the right one. Before entering, she checked the spyhole, to find the woman reading quietly on her bed.

Fang's head shot up from the unexpected intrusion, looking lost for words when her governor appeared from around the door. Lightning turned her keys in the lock again so that the latch flicked out and she would not be locked inside.

Lightning tried to appear unperturbed. "Hey."

The inmate quickly placed a bookmark between the pages, and dropped it to her side. "Miss Farron?"

Her wary expression didn't escape Lightning's notice.

"At ease, Fang. I'm only here because…"

Lightning stood with her mouth open, fighting for words and air. Was she really looking for comfort and reassurance from a prisoner of all people?

"You need a chat and a stiff drink?" Fang finished jokingly, the stress must've been written all over her face. "So are we stuck in here as punishment for someone pulling the alarm?"

Lightning swallowed, once again feeling sick. She hadn't planned on telling any prisoner about Nora until morning, not even Nora's cellmates.

Fang's face faltered when Lightning looked her in the eye. "Fang, it's Nora. She… she's dead."

She should've been well practiced in saying those words after today, but it didn't get any easier to say.

* * *

Officer Strife burst into the cell looking at wit's end. Yuffie hadn't expected it to be him answering her loud demands to know what was going on, so for that, Yuffie felt guilty. For reasons unbeknownst to her, she had been split up from the rest of her cellmates, and thrust into a room with a weird girl called Fujin. Normally Yuffie would compliment anyone with a badass looking eye patch, but the way the silver-haired girl spoke just freaked her out.

"Officer Strife, why am I here?" Yuffie whined. "I didn't pull the fire alarm!"

"Annoyance," Fujin sat at the edge of her bunk, swinging her legs as she pointed to Yuffie. "Remove."

"Oh shut it, you weirdo."

The officer was looking at the two of them as if he'd realised that he'd made a big mistake rooming them together. But he had! All Yuffie wanted was to know what was going on, and why she being punished.

"Look Yuffie, this is only for tonight. You'll be back in your cell by tomorrow, I'm sure."

She threw herself at him, hugging him around his waist which she struggled to even get her small arms around. "Please, sir. I don't wanna sleep here tonight."

He pried himself away, ever the professional, and gave her a warning and left.

"Rikku!" She shouted out, banging on the cell door. Wherever she was, she surely would hear her.

"Why can't we go back in our cell, Yuff?" She heard, but their cross-cell communicating was only upsetting Fujin more.

* * *

"Why is everything going wrong now that I'm in charge?" Lightning growled.

It was true, she'd never fought with Cid before her job here, had enemies amongst her own colleagues, or a death on her conscience. When the built up emotion threatened to become tears she turned away and took interest in the furthest side of the room. Her attempts to hide weren't as subtle as she'd hoped, as there was a creaking of old springs and movement from Fang.

"You've been doing nothing but your best here, you know that right?"

A lump formed in her throat and her voice cracked. "And it's still not good enough, is it?"

At that, Fang was off the bed and standing in front of her, holding her at arm's length. Something told her not to look up, so she studied the folds in Fang's vest instead, except there weren't many, as the item clung to her body like a second skin.

"You're the best governor we've ever had! You think what's happening now is bad? You should've seen this place before you got here."

The taller woman's grip tightened on her arms, then loosened, then tightened again. Eventually, Fang pulled Lightning into a sheepish embrace. Despite the difference in their statuses, Lightning allowed it, seeking the comforting warmth of Fang's neck.

"So just remember," Fang said firmly. "You are Lightning bloody Farron, governor of Wing Thirteen at Edenfell, and you are amazing. You're doing your job well."

Although her voice was cool and measured, Fang's heartbeat was a stark contrast; beating so frantically that Lightning could almost mistake it for her own. Despite Fang's efforts to soothe her, a tear ran down Lightning's face and fell upon the inmate's exposed collarbone.

_Shit, she would've felt that. _

Her next error was looking up. If wasn't already bad enough that she was in the arms of a prisoner, their faces were already dangerously close. With a gentle sweep of a thumb, Fang brushed the tear's trail away from her cheek, and in one smooth motion glided her thumb under Lightning's chin.

Unlike the first time, Fang was gentle when their lips met. Unlike the first time, Lightning reciprocated. She pressed her fingertips lightly against Fang's face, licking and sucking at the woman's bottom lip like it held the remedy to poison. Desperate for more, her heart fluttered when Fang provided her with a small preview of what her tongue was like when it darted out to meet her own.

And then reality hit her hard when a cell door boomed shut. She pulled away suddenly, shocking both herself and Fang.

"_Fuck._ Light I'm sorry," Fang panicked and tried to reach for her. "Lightning, wait!"

But Lightning was already locking Fang in, safely on the outside. How could she possibly despise Yaag Rosch for having apparent relations with inmates when she was now guilty of doing the exact same thing?

* * *

**A/N: First of all, sorry for the long delay. My target of updating every week didn't last long, did it? Secondly, I'm not pleased with the way I've written most of the chapter, I can spot straight away the parts I didn't draft first, so I'm sorry for the quality.**

**Please tell me if there are typos or if something doesn't make sense. When I was editing I managed to lose the Doc Manager page, and I ran out of energy re-reading everything again. xD**

**As always, enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Behind Lock and Key  
**

**Chapter 6: Third Time's a Charm**

* * *

Fang didn't know what to feel. One minute she was sure she could float on air, the next minute she felt like someone had deflated her. She had watched Lightning leave through the gates in her flash car, feeling fulfilled yet empty.

Only when the car disappeared from view did she climb down from the furniture and let the news of Nora sink in, letting her back brush the walls as she also sank to the floor along with her mood.

Where was she now?

At first Fang thought of a morgue, with Nora's cold body lying flat against a slab ready to be looked at in the morning by someone who didn't know her, would never know her, and who wouldn't care. But Fang shook her head, wiped away some tears and instead thought more spiritually; of Nora finally reunited with her son. It set her heart and mind more at ease to conjure up a picture of Nora smiling, hugging the son that Fang had only seen a photograph of.

Again, the governor crossed her mind. Lightning… Lightning looked lost in herself when she had appeared in Fang's cell only so many moments ago, and she couldn't seem to grasp the idea that Nora would've killed herself regardless of who was in charge.

Fang had been content, if not a little apprehensive, in comforting Lightning. Therefore she couldn't help but see her second approach at kissing the woman as an additional strike against her their friendship – would Miss Farron put up with her long enough to make a third?

She shifted from the cold floor in favour of her bed sheets, every so often flipping her pillow for the drier side.

* * *

"_I'm sorry I've not been answering, Light. There's terrible signal here,"_ Cid explained.

Cid had finally returned her call once she made it through the front door, to find that once again he wasn't home. "And where's 'here' exactly?"

"I'm at the train station, waiting for Serah and Snow. I thought I'd surprise you by inviting them over and having a meal out tonight."

Well, it certainly surprised her.

"I might be a little late then," she informed him as composed as possible, immediately hanging up.

Now that she knew she was alone, the tears rose up again and she screamed out her frustration. A nearby cushion muffled the rest of her screams, and acted like blotting paper for her mascara-filled tears. Cid's eagerness to marry and his apathy for her job was getting to her. Fang was getting to her. Nora's death certainly had her.

She had two particular options prodding her mind regarding her future at Edenfell, and depending on Amodar, it would be leave or get a firm grip on everything. The officers, the prisoners, her home life, _everything_.

Looking at the clock, she didn't have time to change, although her work attire was smart enough for her to get away with. Lightning wiped away the streaks across her face, preparing to conceal any tell-tale signs of crying with another layer of make-up.

Within fifteen minutes of leaving home, Lightning pulled into the multi-storey car park of The Gold Saucer; a large leisure complex filled with everything from bars and restaurants, to cinemas and casinos. At night the place was a beacon of light, as the main entrance was made entirely of glass, with a wall of golden fairy lights cascading from top to bottom.

She paused, checking herself in the rear-view mirror and sweeping her hair in place. The entire night ahead seemed impossible to her. How was she going to face Cid, her sister and her idiotic husband Snow when everything had become so chaotic?

The Gold Saucer was a place that was much more alive at night than it was in daytime, which made her search for a restaurant named Gizamaluke's a lot more difficult. She rechecked her phone to ensure that it was the place she was looking for, and spent the next ten minutes wandering around the complex.

She found it on the upper floor between two other restaurants, and it wasn't hard to spot two tall men, who acted like gigantic bookends standing either side of Serah. They were all standing beside a fountain decorated with sea serpents when Serah caught sight of her.

Lightning pre-emptively open her arms and her little sister threw herself into the space provided. "At last!"

"How's life in Palumpolum?" Lightning uttered into Serah's ear, despite the boys watching her. "Is Snow treating you alright?"

Serah pulled away, laughing nervously. "Snow is a brilliant man, sis. Just like Cid."

At that, Lightning swallowed _her _uneasy laugh, and Serah guided them towards the dining half of the restaurant.

"Surprised to see us?"

The last time Lightning had set eyes on Snow, he had half of his hair concealed by a bandana, which was always a permanent fixture to his head. This time, she wished he'd kept it on, as his hair was as long and ridiculous as ever.

"Surprised? Yes. It's good to see you… both."

A waiter arrived with menus, and as Lighting mulled over her options, Cid got the conversation going.

"It's a shame I already have a best man, Snow, but I think you'd be great in helping me plan a stag night."

Snow chugged down several gulps if beer, reminding Lightning that she didn't have a drink yet.

"Do not leave this guy in charge of your stag night. He will have you drinking piss while naked and tied to a lamppost," Lightning cautioned.

The entire table laughed with the exception of Lightning, who was being serious.

For the rest of the night, Lightning was content to watch alcohol do its work on the male side of their group. Serah, with the exception of the one alcoholic drink she had earlier, was also being teetotal, and combined with the blatant stare outs they were having, she guessed why.

Last to finish eating, Serah washed down the rest of her pasta with the last of her drink. "Boys, I think you should order us some non-alcoholic cocktails and leave us girls to discuss hen party matters."

As easy as that, Cid and Snow complied, leaving the sisters alone to discuss, and for a moment it was just Lightning, Serah, and the babbling of the nearby water feature.

"Did the two of you argue this morning or something?" Serah leaned forward. "You're giving off this weird aura and I can't place what's wrong, because Cid seems fine."

Lightning found a distraction in playing with her straw, mixing the remainders of her coke and ice into an even greater slush.

"We've had some disagreements, but that's not it."

Serah looked thoughtful and then: "Is it work? You mentioned that suicide before."

"You're only half right," Lightning murmured. She made sure Cid and Snow were still at the bar before returning to address Serah, who continued to pull a quizzical face at her. "There's this inmate and she... well, kissed me."

"Woah!" Serah threw her hands across her gaping mouth, leaning even more across the table. "What did you do?"

"I brushed it off and warned her. Not my usual style, I know, but she's an asset to me in there otherwise."

Serah grabbed her hands, running her thumbs across her knuckles. "Lightning, I would watch out. She might want to trick you enough to hurt you and grab your keys, or something."

Serah's eyes shone with worry in the dim light, squeezing Lightning's hands. It was heart-warming to see how much her little sister had grown up over the years. When she'd left home Lightning had been apprehensive, but when she'd left town, Lightning had been fear ridden.

Lightning lowered her voice, also leaning away from the conversation; her hands still in Serah's. "She kissed me again tonight."

"Oh my god, Lightning! Tell someone, they'll get her switched to a different wing."

The governor shook her head, closing her eyes. "You don't get it… I _let_ her this time, and worse yet I'd let her again."

The words took a while for Serah to process, and even Lightning was having a hard time believing she had finally admitted to someone. And yet the pressure, although slightly alleviated, was still there on her shoulders.

"Sis, what about Cid?"

"Did I just hear my name?" Cid smiled, placing what she hoped was a non-alcoholic cocktail in front of her. "You better not be planning on male strippers, Serah. I don't want Light running off with a guy with a better body than me."

Again, the group laughed without Lightning, albeit one was faked.

* * *

"You've got to hand it to the media," Yaag said, watching Cloud pore over a local newspaper. "They're on the ball when it comes to the happenings in here."

He was given an uncharacteristic sour look from Strife, who then went back to reading. "More so than us, Yaag. Doesn't it bother you?"

Yaag paced the staffroom as he watched Cloud display a range of frustrated facial expressions at the paper.

"No, Cloud, it doesn't. This is merely a job, and such an inability to separate work from life means you're too attached."

Of all the other officers, Yaag did like Cloud the most. When he wasn't being a sissy over trivial work matters, he had good banter. Today was one of his off days, where he wouldn't agree with anything Yaag said.

"Nora is _dead_, Yaag."

He smiled faintly to himself, leaning against a wall laden with prison related posters. He knew Strife liked their governor enough to see her as a good friend, which gave him great pleasure in his next words. "Yes, and Miss Farron is currently in a meeting with Amodar, probably discussing her early retirement as we speak."

The newspaper in Strife's hand crinkled, but his features remained passive, and even free of the previous frown he had before. The blonde's response was barely a verbal one; just a forced noise.

"Speaking of Nora's death, Amodar has put me in charge of informing the wing about it today. That'll be fun."

He glanced at his watch, which told him he had five minutes before his perfect morning came to an end.

These minutes passed by quickly, and Yaag already found himself unlocking the ground floor and shouting instructions for everyone to remain rooted to the spot. It was out of sheer habit that he began to open the four-person cell, stopping himself before he saw more than the first bunk.

They should have placed some sort of deterrent sign on the cell door if forensics were going to survey the room for evidence – or had they already done it?

As he locked the cell again, he leaned against it as the women of the wing all flooded to the second floor or the stairs. He stood as authoritative as possible, holding his hands behind his back, and puffing out his chest.

"Is everyone here? Can everyone hear me?" As expected from a bunch of jailbirds, no one replied, but from his position on the ground floor, Yaag could see the majority of the wing's prisoners were looking at him.

"As you are all well aware, last night you were placed under an early lock in." He waited patiently as angry comments flew across the building, almost cutting the inside of his mouth as he chewed at it. "Ladies this was _not _a punishment for the alarm being pulled. During the evacuation, it was discovered that one of your friends took it as an opportunity to commit suicide."

"Probably murdered."

"Who died, sir?"

He kept his posture rigid, his eyes failing to meet half of the inmates as they tried to deduce who it could be.

"Well shit, it's not Jihl, unfortunately."

Whoever spoke made a few inmates forget the current bad news, eliciting a few chuckles. Maybe a couple of days ago, Yaag could've agreed. Yet now that the old Jihl was back to offering herself up, he was glad it wasn't her. It was just a shame that last night's planned rendezvous failed terribly, when Miss Farron delegated him work.

"It was Nora Estheim," he finally said.

There was a chorus shock, and some grief-stricken faces. Not everyone could have known Nora, simply for her short time here and quiet attitude, but it was easy to pick out her closest friends by the reaction alone. The Dia girl on level two dropped to her knees, still clutching the railings, as her precious dyke friend rushed from the third floor to see to her.

It was a shame that one of the nicer prisoners had died, and not one of the more meddlesome ones.

"Murdered," Fujin called out. "Killed."

He always found that one strange. "Be quiet. You will all hear the cause as soon as we do."

He turned to the other officers, who stood to attention. They all looked tired and as saddened by the news as the prisoners did, although Steiner was likely to be irritated at the task of playing the consoler for the rest of the day.

"If they think they can use this as an excuse not to do their duties today, they have another thing coming," Steiner huffed.

Yaag always did like Adelbert's no nonsense attitude.

"I think I might do my round, and see to the prisoners under my care," Yaag smirked, thinking of Jihl in particular.

Maybe they could make up for lost opportunities.

* * *

The second Vanille dropped to her knees, Fang was running down the stairs to her side, yet persuading her to stand up was proving difficult. The girl was by no means heavy, but she was putting all her efforts into remaining on the floor. With one last heave, Fang pulled Vanille to her feet, only to get half way as the weeping girl tried to curl up. Instead, Fang knelt along the grated floor along with her, ignoring the way the metal floor bit into her knees.

"Did she not trust us to help her?" Vanille sobbed. "We could've helped her."

"Only to some degree, Van. Look at where we are… it's not like we could call round her house for a friendly chat with cakes, cards, and flowers."

There was movement under Fang's chin which she interpreted as Vanille nodding in understanding.

A shadow cast over them, and Fang turned to see it was only Rikku. "Can Yuf and I hang out in your cell, Vanille?"

The most pathetic sound escaped the redhead's lips. "Uh-huh."

At long last Vanille stood up, and Fang tucked her under her arm like a mother bird would its baby. She would have liked to have everyone in her cell, which was more private, but no one other than the third floor inhabitants were permitted to even stand on the third level.

They sat in Vanille's cell, planning to stay there for the full hour of the association time given on Saturdays before breakfast.

Yuffie instantly called Vanille's bunk, but the girl refused to let her have full reign of her bed and jumped up with her. As the bottom bunk was now Ashe's bed, Fang refused to claim it as a seat, and took to leaning against it instead. Rikku had no such qualms and sat down on it anyway.

One of the two on the top bunk blew their nose loudly, and Fang guessed Vanille, who reacted the worst of the three who had just found out.

That wasn't to say the thieving twosome weren't mourning; they were simply very, very quiet. Without making a sound, Rikku started playing with Fang's unruly hair, taking a section just behind her ear and plaiting it. The slight tugging sensation was so relaxing that she shut her eyes and let Rikku do her thing.

"We could get Fang to ask her?"

"Yeah, she's like, one of her favourites."

Fang lifted her neck from the mattress, groaning at how heavy her head felt. She must've dozed off during Rikku's little playtime with her hair. Her nap couldn't have been long; otherwise they'd have woken her up for breakfast.

"What are you talking about? Make me ask who _what_?"

"Oh welcome back, _cmaabo rayt_. We've decided that a memorial should be set up in Nora's memory."

Fang found all three girls squeezed on the top bunk, occupying themselves this time by braiding Rikku's hair. Fang reached for her own hair, and rushed to the mirror.

"This is quite cool, I might keep it." The braid was only small, but she was able to tuck it behind her ear and make it look like it was always a part of her. "A memorial sounds good, like a bench or something?"

Vanille shook her head. "We want to plant a tree."

"Since she liked the gardens and stuff, yeah?" Yuffie smiled fondly. "Because we'll never forget the homemade cocktail that made Vanille sick as a dog."

"Hey!"

Even Fang couldn't help but laugh at that, and she didn't feel bad about it; it's what Nora would've wanted, a bit of joy.

"It's a good idea guys, but maybe one of you three should pitch it to the top dog. It'll make it look like it was my idea, otherwise."

Bothering Lightning at this crucial point in time was not high on her list, but neither was ignoring her. Would Lightning want to see her right now if she had so much on her plate? The governor wasn't even meant to be in at the weekend, but Fang had seen her car.

"I guess it's only fair I ask," Vanille said, looking disappointed that it was now up to her.

* * *

It was a wonder that Amodar was still letting her keep her job, with the understanding that he was keeping a close eye on her.

She was technically on report.

However, it was a new week and the new month of June, and even Lightning thought this was a good sign for a fresh start. At home, her house was still occupying her sister and brother-in-law as guests, which was driving her up the wall. Cleaning up after a man was one thing, but two was just hell, especially when Serah took the opportunity to go shopping during the day, all day. At night, Lightning was given no respite since revealing her secret about Fang, because when Serah wasn't looking at her funny, she was constantly trying to get information out of her.

'_So… this Fang,' _she would always start with.

Lightning bit her lip as she walked from the offices to the prison yard, where Fang was scheduled to be. They needed to speak, but the best efforts they'd made had been small, awkward smiles from across the room.

For a while, Lightning was content to just watch from afar; Fang was dressed in green overalls, which when zipped up fully, made her appear like a paramedic rather than the prison's resident gardener.

The prisoners had settled on planting a small tree, resulting in Fang needing to clear some of the flowers in order to fit one in. At the moment, she was pacing the garden; presumably to look for a prime spot for the tree, which currently resided by the shed. It was a great idea, even if it did mean the removal of some of the prettier flowers.

Treading lightly through a flower bed, Fang began thrusting a shovel into the middle of one patch deep enough that the roots were uplifted. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and returned to the shed to grab the cherry tree shrub.

The pink petals somewhat resembled her hair colour, causing Lightning to suspect that Fang had chosen the type, just to get a point across.

"Don't be a stranger," Fang called, looking over her shoulder like she knew she was there all along.

She could just _hear_ the smirk.

Lightning walked closer, but kept her distance. "We need to talk."

"Yeah I know."

The good thing about the conversation was that Fang decided to keep working, making it a lot easier to look at her.

"What happened the other day was a mistake on both our parts. I shouldn't have come to visit you, and you shouldn't have kissed me."

The shovel was forced into the soil and Fang turned, looking astounded. "Whoa there! It takes two to tango, sweetheart. You kissed me back."

Lightning cleared her throat. "I've been under a lot of pressure, and I wasn't thinking clearly, therefore technically you took advantage of my mental state."

"And you took advantage of my private cell."

Lightning dug her nails into her palms, it was the only thing she could do to reduce her anger. "I did not."

Fang placed on arm on the shovel's handle, placing her free arm on her waist. A few prisoners walked by, and Fang waited for them to pass before continuing.

"Hell, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining," Fang clarified. "Visit me as often as you'd like if it's easier, because if I wasn't in here, you'd be mine already."

That much Lightning could've deduced herself, because Fang had already displayed some magical persuasion powers already, starting from their first meeting.

"Fang, I'm heterosexual, engaged, and your jailer. If that's not enough to deter you, I don't know what is."

The woman laughed unexpectedly. "If you're straight then why kiss me? If you're engaged, then why come to me to talk about your problems?" Fang's next grin was unfortunately both mischievous and sexy. "And if it's the power imbalance you're worried about, well, I'll just have to get out of here, won't I?"

Lightning fought the urge to lick her dry lips, in case it sent the wrong message. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Well if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

From her belt, her radio came to life. Lightning answered it eagerly, turning her back as she addressed the person on the other end.

"Yes?"

"_Hello, Miss Farron. It's Jessie from reception… you've had a personal call."_

"Did they say who they were?"

"_A Mr. Raines, ma'am."_

As Fang scoffed from behind her, Lightning thanked Jessie and replaced her radio back onto her belt.

"Best see what your beloved wants," Fang said, although this time she didn't smile, it was more of a twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Although it lasted less than a second, she could see the pain there as though it lasted hours. Whether her hurt was for Nora, for herself, or both, Lightning didn't know.

"Fang."

"No, _Cid _remember?"Fang retorted, again with a solemn expression.

For once, Lightning retreated to let Fang win this one. Her counters were too well thought out, and she'd probably over thought things since last night, which Lightning could easily relate to. Now that Serah was around to question her to death, it provided a much needed offload to some of the weight on Lightning's shoulders, and along the way, they discussed some of the 'What if?' scenarios.

Such scenarios danced around in her mind as she walked off, finally deciding to place one into action.

* * *

After searching a multitude of cells, Cloud was stumped as to where the trio of girls he was after actually were. He'd look in the yard, the library, the chapel, and even persuaded Elena to check the toilets in case they were purposely hiding from him.

Nothing.

If he only wanted to know how they were, he would wait until all the prisoners were expected to return back to the wing, but he had his newspaper to give them. Technically, prisoners weren't allowed to be given things from officers, even newspapers, but he desperately wanted them to see the article on Nora.

He tucked the 'prohibited' paper under his arm, sauntering over to the staffroom where the prisoner duty files were held. The two thieves should've been on cleaning duty, but he found two other girls filling in for them on a one-off basis, therefore if there was any change to a prisoner's regime, he would find it there.

The filing area of the staffroom was not a corner Cloud liked venturing in, as it was notoriously messy. Since Lightning became governor, she had made sure that at least one hour a day was spent organising the staff files, and double that time on Sundays.

It was a stroke of luck that the folder he was looking for was in its correct cubbyhole for once.

He flicked through the file to surnames ending in 'D' since it was first, reasoning that wherever one was, the others would also be.

"Hmm. The classroom?"

Usually any sort of classes were designated in free routine slots, to avoid clashes with work duties, so this was unusual. He scanned the sheet and found Officer Steiner's signature, meaning he had authorised the change in schedule. Cloud furrowed his brow. Steiner was not one for approving anything, especially with the younger, more hyper girls.

When he reached the classroom, he made sure to hold the newspaper behind his back before peeping in.

"No, no, no. Use the lighter colour last otherwise you're going to go over the lines."

The voice was unmistakably Steiner's, but Cloud was gobsmacked to see him take charge of a painting session. Across one of the desks was a large pile of smooth pebbles, roughly the size of his palm, and the three girls he was looking for were all sat painting their own.

"Hello sir!" Vanille chirped.

Yuffie's head shot up, her face covered in painted whiskers. "Care to be a male model for us, sir?"

Cloud entered, albeit a little hesitantly. "What're you guys doing?"

Officer Steiner turned, several different paintbrushes were clenched in his hands, and there was a paintbrush clenched between his teeth like a cigar. "Strife, good to see you. The girls had another idea regarding the memorial, which involves anyone who wants to take part painting a stone to place around the tree."

Eyebrows raised, Cloud was impressed by the idea, and suspicious about Steiner's involvement. Then again, Steiner always knew when the performance reports were looming, as if he'd marked it off in a calendar. Despite possible motives, the man looked more at ease painting then when he was doing the rounds along the wing.

He glanced at his watch, hoping that he wouldn't be needed in the next ten minutes. "Does that mean I can paint one?"

Vanille handed him a brush, Rikku offered him a range of paint, and Yuffie offered to be his muse.

Although he declined the last offer, he thanked all three of them anyway.

* * *

The bell above the door jingled when she entered a small wedding shop specialising in suits. The place wasn't anything special, just one of the many shops forming a quiet high street. From outside the shop looked minuscule but the second she entered, Lightning realised it made up for the outer appearance by how far back the place went. As it was just before the lunch hour, she had expected Cid to be the only one in there, which he was, already being attended to.

"Ah, here she is," Cid said, half way between trying on a charcoal black jacket.

The male assistant stopped searching the racks to look at her, nodding his approval to Cid, before carrying on his job. Cid was too pre-occupied in staring in the mirror to see her dire expression; tugging at the jacket, as he had a look at himself from all angles.

"What do you think?"

She made sure to get as close as possible, as to not alert the assistant. "Cid, can we go for a drink or something?"

She saw his reflection frown, and he buttoned up the jacket, smoothing it down. "Don't you like it? It's a good fit for my shoulders... I know it's a lot like my business suits, but this one comes in at the waist more." Still, he tugged at the suit, and began neatening up his hair. "I'll definitely get a haircut too, before the big day."

Lightning spun him round to face her, gritting her teeth when she finally came eye to eye with Cid. "Just get changed, and let's go."

She'd unintentionally raised her voice, and the consultant did he best to make himself scarce, taking the suits in his arms along with him. This was it.

"What's wrong?"

_Do it, do it now. You are Governor Farron of Wing Thirteen at Edenfell. _

"I can't marry you."

Those words became the easiest part, as Cid deserved a further explanation. "What? _Why?_"

The front door jingled again, and two more people stepped in. She knew the longer she left it, the harder it would be, so she gritted her teeth. "Because I don't love you."

She wasn't heartless, nor was she made of stone, and never had she dreamt of hurting someone this way. Lightning stepped back just as Cid reached slowly for her, to strengthen how she felt, or in this case didn't feel. This was hurting him more than it was her, she knew, gauging the worried look and speechlessness, which was very unlike him.

Wisely, the other two customers made their way to the furthest end of the shop, but their over the shoulder looks didn't escape her notice.

"Lightning, what's gotten into you?" he snapped. "If you don't want to get married just say so, don't be so rash as to say things like that."

"No," she said, "I've thought about this."

She wasn't heartless, but this was the only way she knew how to say it,and not only that but she knew that Cid would need to take off the jacket in order to follow her, and so she used the opportunity to make yet another quick exit.

She was wrong when she thought he wouldn't follow.

Perhaps he cared more than she realised, their most recent quarrels didn't help to make her think otherwise. Seeing Serah and Snow together made her realise she their differences, and their similarities in being too focused in their own careers. Later, she would have to thank them both for showing her that she didn't want the married life either.

"Cid, we'll talk about this at home."

He was half leaning outside of the shop, his feet still on the threshold of being inside. He grimaced at her words, shaking his head. "You can't say that and expect me to be there when you get back."

* * *

Cloud placed his work of art on the table, leaning back as he admired the finished piece. The stone he chose was rounder than the rest, and he'd decided on painting a sun, to represent Nora's bright attitude and smile. His artistic skills left a lot to be desired, and as there was so much more that could represent such a lovely woman like Mrs Estheim, Cloud wished he could do more.

His fingers were slightly stained from the amber paint, but it was nothing he couldn't wash off in the toilets. The girls were all still focused on painting their own stone and Cloud was looking forward to seeing what they would come up with. Checking his watch, he'd accidentally spent fifteen minutes doing nothing more than coating a rock in yellow and adding rays of light. Most surprisingly though, was Officer Steiner's intense concentration for the task at hand. From what Cloud could see, the brute of a man was painting delicate, little flowers using whites, pinks, and pastel blues.

"If everyone on the wing painted one of these," Cloud smiled fondly, "then Nora's memorial will be beautiful."

"Yeah," Vanille smiled.

She turned her smooth pebble to show him a bench painted upon a green background, and he wasn't sure of the connection, but there would be something behind it.

Yuffie sniffled. "I've ruined mine by crying on it."

Suddenly, Cloud's radio began to talk. "_Cloud, you spikey headed freak, where are you?_"

"Hello Elena," Cloud said, amused. "What's the matter?"

"_We're on lunch duty in a sec and you're not here. I haven't seen Tifa around either, are you two rendezvous-_"

Cloud spluttered, covering his radio when the others began giggling. The last thing he wanted was gossiping.

"You and Miss Lockhart, sir?" Rikku asked.

Cloud cleared his throat as he was suddenly inundated with questions. He felt like shrinking away. What was Elena thinking? He had been on one date with Tifa, and he refused to speak about it with his meddling sister and many others for that matter, until he knew for certain what was going on between them.

Paintbrushes were thrown across the floor, sending them rolling under the other unused tables. Yuffie huffed, crossing her arms and frowning.

"But me and you were gonna have lots of children, sir!"

"Yuffie you can't say things like that in here, you'll get us both in trouble."

"Yes," Steiner added," and we can't afford to lose a good officer like Strife here. So sit _down_, Kisaragi."

* * *

"And he didn't even deny it, Fang!" Yuffie whined. "Lockhart's stole my guy."

Fang forked more roast potatoes into her mouth to avoid laughing at the poor, smitten girl. Although she should have been more understanding because of her own predicament, it was sort of amusing to see the way Yuffie was reacting. Officer Strife had never shown any romantic interest in the girl, only playful banter and unprejudiced kindness.

Fang gentle squeezed Yuffie's arm. "Not only would the poor guy be fired, but you'd never see him again as he'd move on to other things."

She was such a hypocrite.

"I'll make her life a living hell, oh it'll be perfect. I'll get _her_ sacked… plant some hypers on her or something."

_Hypers_.

Fang had almost forgotten that the duo liked to take them in the comfort of their cell. "Did you ever find your goggles, Rikku?"

"No." The Al Bhed chewed noisily on her food, a crease in her brow. "Oh my god."Rikku's cutlery clattered against the now forgotten plate, and the thief held her head in the crook of her elbow. "_Cred, cred, cred. _What if Paine was telling the truth when she said she didn't take them?"

"Do not go accusing me again," Yuffie warned. "I'd never take them without you."

Rikku shook her head, braids swinging wildly with the momentum. Fresh tears streamed down to her chin, her eyes concealed behind her arm still. Her sudden outburst made Fang realise something.

"You think it's Nora."

Yes, it made sense. If Rikku was adamant that her goggles went missing during lock up and they still hadn't turned up, it was possible Nora had took them.

_To overdose_.

Ever since Paine had revealed that she was the one who planted the drugs in Jihl's cell, Fang's respect for the slick-hair girl increased, and the more she believed Paine was telling truth.

If Nora had taken them, there was no way of finding the goggles before anyone else, as the girls in the four-person cell were still not allowed to return to that cell, therefore it was impossible to check Nora's belongings.

Yuffie gasped. "Rikku… what if they find out about the… y'know, compartment?"

Vanille harrumphed. "The last thing we need is you getting into trouble."

Officer Strife walked past their table, cracking a small smile at Yuffie. For someone who didn't smile often, Fang knew that he was trying to make amends for unwittingly breaking Yuffie's heart.

He appeared at the opposite end of the table. "Up for a game of pool later, girls?"

The entire table stiffened, hoping that Officer Strife hadn't heard anything, because although he was friendly there was no doubt he'd tell the governor.

"Oh please," Vanille said. "It's been too long, sir."

He nodded, looking to each of the women as they nodded or verbalised their yeses, leaving Yuffie until last. "Yuffie?"

"Mm, maybe."

Fang leaned back in her chair, continuing to ponder why Yuffie was so damn upset over him. Although he was nice enough, she honestly didn't think he suited Yuffie's personality type, as she was too energetic and young. It didn't help he was the only relatively young, handsome male around, that wasn't a bastard, like someone she could think of.

"Good…" Cloud scratched his ear. "And thanks for letting me paint a rock for Nora earlier."

The man collided with a prisoner in his haste to leave, causing his cheeks to burn red, the poor idiot. His parting words reminded Fang that she had yet to paint a rock to place by the memorial tree, and if her idea hadn't already been stolen, Fang wanted to paint the garden shed_. _

_And perhaps a tiny watering can in memory of that night._

"We still need everyone else on the wing to paint one," Vanille said, occasionally turning in her seat to count the number of inmates and officers.

The deadly combination of throwing up and mourning had made Vanille seem a little gaunt recently, so when she wasn't looking, Fang added more meat to her plate.

If the memorial service was to happen today, everyone had best get painting. So as random people passed by, the foursome pulled anyone they could to the side in order to inform them. As Fang sat down at a table, she realised with dismay at who she had joined. Three pairs of wary eyes watched her, belonging to that of Jihl, Ashe, and Paine.

"What is it Yun?" Jihl spat, "I don't remember inviting you."

"No need to bite my head off, Nabaat, I'm here to ask you about something we're doing for Nora."

It was a shame that Ashe had now sought out Jihl's company out of everyone, especially when the likes of Paine, who was rude and harsh at the best of times was considered Jihl's friend. Together, the three of them looked an odd bunch; the whore, the punk, and the posh bitch.

As Fang explained, Ashe, the most cultivated one, nodded the entire way. "That's a really sweet idea. I'd love to take part. Paine?"

Paine shrugged. "Yeah, sure whatever."

Pleased with the outcome already, Fang didn't wait for Jihl's reply. "Good, see you guys after lunch in the classroom."

* * *

For the third time in five minutes, Lightning ignored Serah's call, letting it ring endllessly. Her sister had chosen her office hour of all the times to pick, to bombard her with calls on the off chance she would actually answer. At last it seemed Lightning had gotten her point across, and when the last call finished, a little light flashed on her mobile phone to tell her she had a voicemail.

A voicemail she could deal with, as she didn't have to explain herself. She held the receiver to her ear and pressed a button.

"_Cid's just burst through the door all angry and shouting, and he's saying he's leaving. Lightning? Answer the goddamn phone! I know we discussed_ _things, but I didn't think you'd _actually_ do this... if you realise you don't love him then fine, but don't come home and tell me you did it for that prisoner."_

Things banged and rattled in the background, and the shouting she heard was most definitely from Cid. She held the phone away from her ear; surprised at how his reaction juxtaposed the one he had at the shop, and then suddenly she could hear Snow. If there was one reaction about this she didn't want to hear or see it was his.

"_Has she been-"_

"_Shh, I'm still on voicemail!"_

The message abruptly ended and Lightning let her arm drop to her desk, where it landed on a prisoner file. Serah might be disappointed with her after this, she realised, but she had one more call to make before attending Nora's memorial.

Call made, Lightning proceeded towards the yard, in high spirits despite the reason for the visit. As expected, the inmates who wanted to show their respects were all stood in a solemn group just on the grass by the tree. It was a lot cooler outside than she first anticipated, and she was left wishing she'd brought her jacket instead of leaving it hooked on her chair.

"Hello everyone. Thanks for taking time out of your free time to come here."

Other than a cough, the crowd remained silent. From what Lightning could see, most of the inmates had their own fist-sized pebble in hand, all with various colours, patterns, and meanings behind them. Unfortunately, Lightning hadn't the time to make one herself, but thankfully the outcome was good enough without her needing to make one.

Lightning had tried to plan out a small speech prior to standing where she was now, but the words did not come easy enough. Now however, when she was standing in front of the many sullen faces, the words began to surface rather easily.

"Nora, as you may or may not know, was a kind, quiet mother. Her death was unexpected, and she has left a void in the hearts of many inmates and officers here… myself included. It is with deep regret that she found her problems could not be resolved whilst alive, but I know her kind spirit will live on in us all."

A part of her wanted to disclose information about Nora's death to everyone, as a letter had finally been planted on her desk during her break, but it was probably not the time nor place.

Nora had died from an overdose.

It was a grave thought at first, but the governor part of her was pleased that there was no suspicious circumstances behind her death. What Lightning didn't tell them today, would be revealed by newspapers tomorrow, anyway.

One by one, the girls leaned over the recently dug up flower bed, placing their painted rock by the small cherry tree. Some had painted Nora's name on the rock, others placed short messages. One prisoner which surprised her was Paine, who had painted a small portrait of Nora, displaying a talent that Lightning wasn't even aware of. She patted Vanille on the shoulder during her turn, tears sheening her face. The moment she dreaded finally came, when it was Fang's turn somewhere in the middle of the line. Both were torn between ignoring one another and staring each other out.

"_I'm sorry,"_ Fang mouthed.

Lightning nodded once slowly, smiling slightly. _Me too._

When everyone was done, an automatic silence fell, only disrupted by an icy breeze that rushed up her sleeves and chilled her skin. Her hair tickled her face, but she chose to ignore it, spending the minute's silence motionless.

* * *

He drove the car up to the gate, poking his head out of the window to let the guard see his face. The man squinted at him, leaning back slightly.

"You've visited before, haven't you?"

With a flick of his head he gestured to the back seat of his car, and the guard had a little peek. "I'm here on the same business as before too."

The gatekeeper nodded, motioning him through the opened gates.

_Perfect._

* * *

"Are you going back in? The wind is starting to pick up."

With her arms wrapped around her small body, Vanille watched the newly planted sapling sway. Fang grasped her shoulders from behind, pulling her close. A few of the inmates remained outside to smoke and chat, including the thieves, who sat by their feet, also puffing away.

The multicoloured memorial was beautiful. A much better touch than a simple, wooden bench, and Fang would get to watch the cherry tree grow more than anyone else.

The grass rustled as a new set of feet joined the group.

"I didn't know you two smoked."

Everyone looked right towards their governor, who was also staring out at the tree, hugging her elbows. Her hair whipped frantically around her face, almost hiding the glances she threw Fang's way, although it didn't escape the woman's notice that Lightning's coy gaze also fell onto Vanille, who was still in Fang's arms.

"Oh yeah, it's like the only fun thing to do around here," Yuffie whined. "No offence… er, you want one, Miss?"

Miss Farron looked at Yuffie properly, revealing sad, empty eyes, before shaking her head. "No thanks."

"Fang you're hurting me," Vanille complained, and Fang suddenly let go of her shoulders.

"Was I? Shit, sorry."

The white pressure marks slowly dissolved, thankfully returning to Vanille's normal skin colour. Fang cursed mentally, shoving her hands in her pockets instead.

Right now she wished the others weren't here, that there wasn't cigarette smoke, friends, and awkwardness between letting her talk to Lightning properly.

"That was a nice speech," Fang said to the wind, letting it carry to the governor's ears.

"As far as speeches for the dead go, yeah,_ amazing,_" Rikku scoffed, and murmured something in Al Bhed. Fang continued to look forward, smiling when smoke rings rose upwards; dispersing quickly when the wind picked up.

The otherwise calm moment was not to remain however, when a man clad all in black screamed Lightning's name. He was tall and broad like a monolith, towering above another officer who was racing to keep up with his strides. When he shouted again, Fang recognised him as Lightning's fiancé. Although Fang hated the man for simply being romantically affiliated with Lightning, something didn't sit right with the way he was advancing towards the governor.

The aforementioned didn't look ecstatic to see him, either.

"Cid, what're doing here? Now is not the time or place to talk things out."

Without any regard, he trampled over the flowers and painted rocks, eliciting gasps from onlookers.

"Oh but a suit shop is, is it?"

Rikku hissed as he closed in, throwing her cigarette butt him. "_Oui bnelg!_ Get off Nora's memorial!"

Cid laughed, wiping down his ash-coated lapel. "I don't know what's worse… the fact you're about fifteen and in prison, or that you're Al Bhed."

"_Vilg oui!"_

Lightning advanced to the edge of the grass, red and seething. It looked like the couple had argued prior to this, and Fang prayed it would unfold soon, before she was carted off to her cell. An argument was good news for Fang, who was silently rooting for Lightning to knock the man out.

"Cid I'm warning you, leave now or I'll have you removed."

Fang's nails bit into the flesh of her palms, wanting nothing more than to be the one to remove Raines for her. Would Lightning punish Fang for hitting him, if Cid was the one starting it all?

The man tried to slap Lightning's radio out of her hand, but the governor's reflexes were much greater, grabbing his wrist with her free hand. That was the only signal Fang needed, leaping forward. Yet Cid was already doubled over, and Lightning was cracking her knuckles.

"I'm fine Fang, stay out of it," Lightning advised, shaking the pain out of her right hand. "Cid, it's over. We're over. Leave."

"Like hell I will."

The finality of the words rolling from Lightning's tongue sent shivers down Fang's spine, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Look!" Jihl howled from the door leading to the prison, "Farron's kicking someone's ass!"

The rest of the prisoners were flooding out, racing to get in on the action, as were the male officers. Fast and powerful, Officer Rosch and Strife charged like cheetahs, and tackled each of Cid's arms. Rosch was thrown off first, planting face first into the dirt, whilst Strife ducked under an elbow thrown his way.

Cid smoothed his suit down again. "Don't walk away so easily, Light."

Cid kicked out at Cloud, knocking the breath from his lungs. Finally free, he tried to grab Lightning by the neck, and would have if Fang hadn't hooked him in the face, sprawling him to the ground.

"Stay the fuck off her."

The knuckle-to-nose contact made something crack, sending a shooting pain up Fang's arm, and blood spattering everywhere. Whether it belonged to him or Fang didn't matter, it only served to fuel her passion for brawling even more.

Fang's strike allowed Rosch and Strife to dive on Cid, whose face was an explosion of red. Once subdued by the weight of two men, Cid thrashed like a child with a tantrum until he exhausted himself.

"If you thought coming here would change my mind…" Lightning yanked the silver ring from her finger, throwing it on the grass by Cid's face. "You were very, very, wrong."

* * *

Lightning found the medical bay unusually relaxing for a place linked with sickness and injury. She rubbed the base of her ring finger, which had been free of its silver shackle for a good hour. She smiled at the mentail vision of Cid being dragged away with tissues stuck up his nose, as his blood refused to clot. She suspected his nose to be broken, but ordered him away from Edenfell, refusing to let their nurses treat him.

"All done, Fang." Nurse Gainsborough carefully turned Fang's newly bandaged hand, checking her handiwork. "I'd minimise the use of your hand for the next few days until I can get a good look when the swelling goes down."

Fang leapt from the medical bed, clutching her injured hand to her chest. "Thanks, I'll try."

Although there were smiles, she noted Fang had winced when she came into contact with the floor.

"Thank you, Aeris. Sorry for keeping you in overtime."

The amiable nurse ducked her head, smiling graciously. "Don't worry about it, Miss Farron."

"Come, I'll take you back to your cell," Lightning offered.

She knew Fang wasn't completely incapacitated, but Lightning held the door open for Fang anyway. Fang lead the way back towards the wing, navigating around the corridors with ease.

_Knows the place like the back of her swollen hand_, Lightning mused.

Fang sighed to break the silence. "Well, looks like my other hand's gonna have to suffice for a bit."

Fang stopped at the first gate, waiting for Lightning to open it.

"I'm sure you'll manage." Again, she let Fang lead the way, studying her slumped shoulders and slow gait. The uncharacteristic way Fang held herself filled Lightning with sorrow - with her hand curled up against her breastbone, she looked weak.

Even the way she spoke lacked confidence. "Why couldn't you marry him?"

There it was - the words she'd been waiting for. Granting that she'd expected the question a lot sooner, with a lot more of a cocky attitude attached to it, Fang had finally asked.

"It was never going to work out. We're both career focused people."

"You say that, but you agreed to marry him. Is this because of last week? Is this because of me?"

"Things change, Fang, that's all. I'm no longer discussing this here."

A dull buzz grew increasingly louder the closer they got to the wing, followed by the scent of garlic. Whatever it was, it was unusually mouth-watering for the prison's usual menu.

"You're in luck, you've only got ten minutes before dinner."

"I think I'd rather lie down for the rest of today, if that's okay."

Her chest throbbed painfully. "Actually, it's not. You're not cutting out food after a day like today."

The last gate into the wing was opened by Officer Steiner, and without warning, Fang dashed through the eager crowd and up to her cell.

"I wish I'd been there to help, ma'am," Steiner said sternly. "Those younger officers haven't the experience in breaking up fights."

Watching Fang's retreating form, Lightning distractedly thanked Steiner for his dedication, inflating his self-worth and his chest slightly.

When the dinner rush finally started, Lightning watched Fang's cell like a hawk, waiting for the woman to leave. As it turned out, Fang wasn't in a hurry to do so.

_What is this sudden self-pity, Fang?_

When the last of the prisoners were queuing, Lightning made her way to Fang's cell. Not bothering to conceal her footsteps upon the metal floor, she made her entry to the cell rather audible.

"Go eat before there's nothing left," Lightning told the back of Fang's head.

The inmate rolled onto her back, swinging her useless, bandaged hand out into the air. The last thing Lightning needed was someone as headstrong as Fang to start a hunger strike, because the likes of Rikku and Yuffie could easy follow suit.

Predictably, Fang didn't say a word. Her only answer was heavily hinted in the yearning in her eyes… and Lightning was pretty sure her own expression was somewhat similar.

With her current approach a massive failure, Lightning cleared her throat and tried again. "I also wanted to say thank you for earlier."

A twitch. A flicker of a smile. "You did well without me."

Her aching hand was a sore reminder of such, but the swelling of Fang's hand took gold in the achievement department. Hesitantly, Lightning crouched beside the outstretched hand, studying how poorly Fang could bend her fingers.

Her own fingers hovered tentatively under Fang's hand. "Still, that was quite a punch."

It wouldn't have surprised her if Fang had broken his nose. She could still hear the sickening _crunch _now.

"Thanks," Fang laughed at long last. Tentatively, Lightning cupped Fang's hand, using her own sore one to gently massage her palm through the bandages, withdrawing when Fang inhaled sharply. "Hey, if I'm not allowed to move my hand, neither are you."

"Sorry," Lightning said, finally blushing. "Go and eat now… please?"

Fang sighed dejectedly. "I'd rather have dessert first."

Lightning's eyebrow involuntarily twitched at that one, and with regret, she sort of liked that line. The longer she deliberated kissing Fang again the more she couldn't believe where a short time and a long series of events had taken her.

_Never in a million years did I think I'd find myself caught in the way you've got me now, Fang. _

She broke the moment slightly when she looked over her shoulder to the door, catching Fang off guard when she hastily turned back and kissed her.

Lightning moved closer along with Fang's hand, which was still in her grasp, trying desperately and failing to ignore the excitement that came with the danger of being caught.

With Fang still short on her prison sentence by at least seven years, their relationship would need a lot of surreptitious meetings, and each would increase their chances of being caught out. Lightning was no fool, she knew they'd never keep the secrecy up, and the prisoners and officers would find out one way or another.

Something was going to have to change, and although Fang wouldn't like it, the one Lightning had in mind would be for the good of both of them.

* * *

**A/N: Excuse me as I crawl slowly out of the woodwork. Massive delays, just because of life, I'm afraid. **

**I feel like the other characters are slightly neglected as I fail to create a side story for them that won't affect the main storyline and become more important. So I need to have a *little* think there... hopefully the next chapter won't take a almost a month to publish, because I know what it's like to forget someone's storyline. **

**Any ways, enough of that. I hope you enjoyed reading. :)**


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